go to sleep little baby
by Anita Skeeter
Summary: Complete. The Scooby Gang (seniors in high school, they're on top of the world!) faces a mysterious new force. Natch. But THIS force has impeccable fashion sense, at least. Mucho Giles y Oz y Bruised-Buffy. Yahoo. Fine family fun.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Notes: (And be warned, they may be lengthy)

Right. And so I do not pretend that this fic is anything but a deplorable onanistic attempt at inserting myself and two highly disreputable roommates of mine into the Buffy universe. Mary Sue-ism to the nth degree. Believe me, I am ashamed, but the part of me that is not ashamed is kinda giggly about the whole thing. There are some parts that are rather fun.

Except that my namesake has decided she and a certain librarian just OWN this fic. Stupid girl, she's taken my hair AND my MAN and just…run away with them! Note to impressionable readers/aspiring authors: DON'T LET YOUR CHARACTERS TAKE YOU OVER.

Oh. And the timeline. Er. Well, Mlle le Slayer and her Slayerettes are seniors in high school. And it's about April. But…yeah. Taking license with…pretty much everything. Caveat lector.

Anyway. Hope you enjoy, hope you don't kill me for being so very self-involved as to put myself in their universe (even if it IS much more fun than this one), hope you say something nice amidst the flaming comments.

On with the fic!

go to sleep, little baby

Willow sometimes wondered why her mother was never around.

She had been around during Willow's childhood, that was for sure. A million timeouts and trips to the library were evidence that her mother DID exist. But as soon as Willow had hit puberty, poof! Now you see the maternal figure, now you don't.

"Maybe _that's_ why I'm a witch…obviously magic in the blood…" Willow said thoughtfully, tapping her notebook with the pen in her hand. 

"What's that, baby?" a young man's voice came from the other side of the room. 

"Nothing. Just…pondering the mysteries of the world."

Oz stopped stringing his guitar and put it down carefully before unfolding his legs from beneath him and moving to sit at the edge of her bed. He gave Willow his very best quizzical look (which, since it was Oz, was very effective) and asked "Any particular mysteries or the general lineup?"

Willow smiled embarrassedly and paused for a minute, trying to give her thoughts accurate voice. "It's…well, I know my mom _must _have an active social life because she's never here unless it's very inconvenient to me that she be here…which proves even more that she has some sort of magical abilities…" Willow wandered off before one look at Quizzical Oz got her back on track. "But then, she never talks about having any friends or doing overtime at work or anything…" Willow stopped. "My mom _does _work, doesn't she? That isn't just a story, is it? Wait, how do I know that she's even my _MOM?_" she raised two worried eyes to Oz's, which were no longer quizzical, but mocking.

"Um. Will, no more caffeinated beverages after seven. They make you all…insecure."

"Gee, thanks. That's comforting." Willow put her pen down on the notebook and shoved it away from her.

Oz went back to his guitar and picked it up. "I don't think any woman who claims to be your mother would do so just for kicks and giggles. Especially considering the whole…ability to conjure things and make pens float. So you're not an orphan, sorry." He winced as one of the strings suddenly snapped. He glared at the girl still perched on the bed. "You want to_ not _take out your frustrations on my instrument?"

Willow blushed a bit and snickered. So did Oz, after a minute. "You know I didn't mean it like…geez, Willow."

The sound of a car engine roaring down the block made them both look out the window onto the darkened street below. Willow and Oz both glanced at each other as the sounds grew closer, and suddenly Oz dropped his guitar on the floor made him way over to the window to have a better look. Willow raised an eyebrow; Oz never dropped his precious baby. A few seconds later, a car sped down the street, screeching its tires as it negotiated the turn and revved down another quiet residential road. They could hear the slight sound of singing coming from the passengers inside. Oz raised his eyebrows a bit and turned back to Willow.

"Crazy teenage drivers," he laughed. "Nice car, though. An old 73 convertible, I think…someone's looked after that thing." 

Willow nodded and reached for her notebook. Oz went back to tuning his guitar. And somewhere in Sunnydale, an old 73 convertible continued to wake up the town's sleeping residents.

***

"Oh _no!_ This isn't the right part of town at _all_," a petulant voice echoed through the deserted street. Its owner was pacing the sidewalk, scowling up at the street sign.

"Jesus _Christ_, Gina, it takes a massive amount of talent to get us lost in a podunk like this. From now on, _I _drive," a bored voice drawled from the backseat of the parked convertible. Gina stopped pacing and whirled around to snarl at her passenger. "Right, and get us speeding tickets every five miles?"

"I thought you _liked_ that, Gina," the same voice said, its owner struggling to right herself in the backseat.

"It gave you policemen to talk to," another female voice said.

"And you _loved _talking to policemen," the girl in the backseat smirked. "Absolutely _loved _it."

Gina smirked back at the girl. "This is true. All right, Laura, you drive. Get me some coppers to…talk to."

Laura grinned as the girl in the passenger seat let out a whoop of excitement. She climbed over the bench and plopped into the driver's seat. Gina raced over to the car and vaulted into the backseat. The girl in the passenger seat cheered as Laura gunned the engine, and she suddenly stood up, raising her arms in victory as she screamed "Hel-_lo_, Sunnydale!"

A spatter of female laughter bounced off the dormant houses and trees as the tires squealed. Gina reached up and pulled the other passenger down, laughing so hard she could barely squeak "Sit down, Lisa, you'll wake up the neighborhood!"

The three girls continued to laugh as the car sped down the street, the brightest burst of energy in Sunnydale at 2 a.m. And the grass clippings swirled and eddied in their wake.

***


	2. Chapter One

Giles sat at a library table, his feet propped on another chair in a rare display of wild and reckless abandon.

Well, for Giles, anyway.

The door banged open and a familiar voice rang through the rooms. "Hey Giles!" He smiled a bit, putting his newspaper down just as Buffy walked through the doorway. "Whoa, Giles without a tie. Is that legal?" she joked, cocking her head. He raised an eyebrow and regarded her silently for a moment.

"Um. Right. No making fun of LibraryMan. Sorry, forgot," Buffy said, abashed. She produced a book from her bag and held it out to him, head down in mock repentance. "Forgive me, sir. I got your…um…research material for you." Suddenly Giles became much more animated, leaping from his seat and grabbing the book from her hand.

"Where on earth did you find this?"

"I have my sources. …Most of them undead, but I don't want to hear any complaining."

Giles scoured the cover of the book for a moment, his eyes gleaming with booklust experienced only by the truly geeky. Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"Any particular reason _why_ you had me searching all over the state for this particular Harry Potter book? Does the kid lose his magical powers? Or…does it contain powerful spells? Or does it have a killer twist ending?"

"This is a first-edition UK hardcover, Buffy. There aren't a lot of them in California."

"Oh. And…so…in future years this book will be a priceless piece of history?"

Giles smirked as he sifted gently through the pages. "Alas, no. The publishers'll make more. But I have a connection on eBay that'll give me $200 for this book and then I can get others. With _real_ magic in them."

Buffy snorted and threw her backpack down on the table. "Rupert Giles, financial wizard." Giles gave her a condescending glance before he returned to his book. The door to the library slammed again and the two simultaneously looked up.

"G'morning, Wesley," Buffy exhaled, picking up her backpack in an unsubtle attempt to make an escape. Giles quickly picked up his newspaper and buried himself in the obituary section.

"Good morning, Buffy. How was patrol last night?" Wesley asked pompously, checking his watch to make sure he was on time.

"Lousy. I've never been so bored in my life. Not a single demon."

"Not something to complain about."

"Right, sorry. Had lots of fun roaming around a cemetery until 2 in the morning. The place was, pardon the pun, _dead_."

Giles granted himself a small smile at the other Watcher's expense. "Be that as it may, Buffy, a completely demon-free night isn't exactly wonderful news. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual."

"Unusual? In Sunnydale? Perish the thought, Buff!" Xander walked through the library doors. "And here I thought we lived in perfect Smalltown USA, where lawns are impeccably manicured and housewives wear pearls and everyone drives sensible American-made sedans and--" he began, but Giles raised his hand in protest.

"No sarcasm before nine o'clock, please."

"Sir yes sir."

***

It was a beautiful spring day. Much too beautiful to waste on things like homeroom, according to Oz. Which was exactly why he was washing his van in the bright sunlight of the late morning. With the radio blaring on the porch steps, he didn't hear a car screech to a halt next to his house. 

"Hello. Are you Daniel Osborne?"

He jumped as a voice sounded suddenly in his ear. Oz turned around and came nose to chin with a strange girl. "Y-yeah, that's me. Oz," he said uncertainly. The girl paused a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

"Oh thank _heavens_, I thought Laura had gotten us lost again. Horrible driving skills," the girl laughed, waving a hand to her car and the others sitting inside it. Oz grinned, relieved, and waved to the two girls still in the car. He had thought for a moment that something…_unusual_ was going to happen.

The girl standing in front of reached out a manicured hand and shook Oz's. "I'm Lisa. So good to meet you, bet you're wondering why the hell we're bothering you, eh?" Oz, a bit confused by the events, nodded his head dazedly. Lisa laughed again. "We're Cecelia Song. Um…the band. The managers at the Bronze said you'd help us find some connections…?"

Oz gaped a bit. "_You're_ Cecelia Song? Like, _the _Cecelia Song? No way!" He gazed in a stupor at the girl, taking in all of her--from her sleek updo to the bottoms of her strappy little sandals.

"Way."

"Whoa. You're playing in Sunnydale?"

"For the weekend. Needed to get away from city life for a while. You know."

Oz nodded his head enthusiastically. "Well, it's certainly an honor. You guys rock. You're, like, an inspiration to local bands everywhere."

Lisa grinned and nodded, gazing at Oz's van and inside it. She spied his guitar. "D'you play too?"

Oz nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, actually, I'm in a band too. Um…local. We're not so good."

"What's your name? Maybe we've heard of you."

"Um…'Dingoes Ate My Baby.' I _know _it's stupid and I told the other guys that, but--"

"_You're_ part of Dingoes Ate My Baby? Awesome! We heard your demo, and you guys have such raw talent!"

Oz stared at the girl, flabbergasted. "Really?"

"_Yeah_, really! Hey, _Laura! Gina!_ He's from Dingoes!" The two other girls vaulted out of the convertible and raced over to Oz and Lisa. "Yeah, he's _Oz_," she told the other two importantly. The two other girls eyed Oz with obvious admiration.

"Heard your CD. You guys are wicked cool."

"Yeah, seriously. Powerful emotions."

Oz was beginning to feel a little dizzy. "Which one's Laura and which one's Gina?" he asked stupidly. The three girls chuckled. "Laura," the girl on the far right introduced herself, shaking Oz's hand. He gave her a quick appraising glance. Curly red hair (_and lots of it--whoa_) and dark red lipstick…with a Union Jack t-shirt and leather pants. _Definite style_, Oz mused, flushing a bit as he realized Laura was smirking at his unsubtle gaze. "And Gina," the other girl smiled, shaking Oz's hand and blatantly running her index finger across his wrist. _WHOA._ Blonde hair and green eyes _(a very nice combo) _with a teal ribbed sweater and faded jeans…Oz grinned.

_I'm standing in my driveway with Cecelia Song. No freaking way this is real. _

"Laura, Lisa and Gina. Cecelia Song. And to think I actually contemplated _homeroom_ today," Oz laughed, running a hand through his hair. The girls grinned.

"So, know anyone who'll help us set up tomorrow night? Those bastards at the Bronze said they only paid for band members and no coterie. And our amps are _so _heavy," Laura frowned, twining a curl around her fingers. Oz raised an eyebrow at the word _coterie_. These girls had been around--he wondered how many Sunnydale High girls knew french phrases. _Wonder how many girls know _France_, actually. Well, except Willow…_Oz suddenly felt a pang of guilt as he inconveniently remembered his significant other.

__

"Uh…yeah, well, I could get my guys together and _we_ could help. If you want," Oz said uncertainly. Lisa nodded her head enthusiastically, and Laura said "Oh, that'd be wonderful. We could…pay you guys or something. Give you a private show," she grinned as Lisa and Gina burst into giggles. Oz laughed. "No, that's fine. We'll do it for free, I'm sure. The guys will sh---um. They'll be really excited when I tell them who's playing."

Gina grinned. "Sounds great. We'll be sure to give you guys our autographs." She and Lisa began walking back to their car. "I'm driving!" Gina shouted.

"If you give us yours," Laura added, flashing Oz a wide smile. Oz nodded and Laura began to walk away. She stopped suddenly and turned around. "You said you were going to school late?"

Oz gulped and nodded. 

"Want a ride? We could use the publicity," she said nonchalantly. Oz glanced at the sponge and bucket on the driveway, and then back at Laura, who began to tap her foot in a display of mock impatience. 

"Yeah, sure. I can introduce you to my friends."

Laura grinned again. "Well good. Come on!" she said, grabbing Oz's hand and dragging him to the car. She vaulted into the backseat and Oz scrambled behind her. Lisa and Gina were both clapping and cheering, and as Gina screeched out of the parking spot, Oz couldn't help a feeling of exhilaration as the wind flowed through his hair.

***

"Nuh uh."

"Yuh huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yuh huh!"

_"Nuh uh!"_

"Yuh huh!"

"Children, please," Giles murmured as he sifted through the turned-in books pile. Xander and Buffy were glaring at each other, at a standoff on opposite sides of the library table. _None of the other Watchers have stories like these at the conventions…_ Giles thought idly.

"He started it," Buffy growled.

"Did not," Xander snarled.

"Did _too_!"

"Did _not_!"

_"Did too!"_

Giles slowly and calmly put down his book and walked over to the library counter. He opened a drawer and rummaged through it as Xander and Buffy continued their debate (_"DID NOT!" "DID TOO!"_). He suddenly smiled and closed the drawer. He walked over to the two students and tore off a piece of packaging tape and attached it firmly to Buffy's mouth mid-too. Buffy sat up, her eyes wide in astonishment as she hesitantly touched the strip covering her mouth. Xander began to snicker and Giles walked slowly to his side of the table and repeated the process. Xander glared up at the librarian and let out a string of angry noises, all of which were mercifully muffled by the packing strip. Wesley watched the entire scene in wordless astonishment.

"Now that we've calmed down, perhaps you two may settle this peacefully," Giles began, taking a seat between the two silent charges. "Buffy, Xander didn't mean to insult the integrity of 'the Powerpuff Girls.' Did you, Xander?" Xander grumbled a bit. "Of course not. And Xander, Buffy didn't really mean to say that your comic book collection was a waste of money and grey matter. Did you, Buffy?" Buffy just glared at the Watcher. "Right. And now I think both of you should shake hands and make up." Buffy and Xander both glared at Giles, and then at each other. "Well, go on! I have to get work done and I can't spend all day babysitting you two!" the man declared, losing his temper a bit.

Buffy and Xander, still staring daggers at each other, reached across the table and shook hands. "Right. Good. Now we can just take that tape off--" he began, reaching for the tape on Xander's face. Xander backed away, his hands up in protest. "Oh, now what?" Xander rummaged around in his backpack and produced a pen and notebook and began scribbling something on a sheet of paper.

"…'No, don't rip it off, it'll hurt'? Oh, don't be such a baby, Xander." Giles reached for Xander's face again, but Xander jumped out of his chair and ran to the other side of the table, standing behind Buffy's chair. Buffy looked a little apprehensive herself.

Giles sighed. "_Fine_. Look, I'll take it off with a trick I learned from an old watcher in London. It won't hurt."

Xander and Buffy visibly relaxed, and Giles advanced on them calmly. "All right. Now, for this to work…um…both of you hold hands." Buffy and Xander clasped hands firmly. "Right. And now…raise the other above your head. Like a yogi." The two did as told and Giles grinned faintly. Wesley ventured from his secluded spot in the reference section to watch the process. "And…now close your eyes as I say a quick incantation and then the tape'll be off!"

Buffy and Xander closed their eyes obediently. Giles held back a small laugh. "Right, um…draco…dormiens…nunquam titillandus!" Giles said, and then he gave the tape on their mouths a quick tug.

The simultaneous shrieks of Buffy and Xander echoed through the rows of books in the library. Wesley had not only dropped his book but had actually started _laughing_, clutching his side as he grasped the corner of a table for support. Giles simply grinned and threw the two used strips of tape into a dustbin.

"Holy _crap_, Giles, I thought you said that wouldn't hurt!" Buffy exclaimed. 

"Um…right. Must've gotten the incantation wrong. It's been years, after all," Giles said, wiping his glasses with his handkerchief. Buffy glared at Wesley, who had resorted to the support of a chair and was still laughing hysterically.

Xander, his eyes unusually bright, was rubbing his mouth tentatively. A moment after, he finally spoke.

"Aw, _man_, it took off my cool goatee!"

The occupants of the library stared at him. Xander stared back defensively. "What? I could grow a goatee!"

Buffy raised an eyebrow and spoke. "What, you mean those two little hairs on your chin? Was _that_ your cool goatee, Xander?"

Xander glared at the Slayer. "Hey Buffy, I think I liked you better when you had tape on your mouth." 

The library doors slammed open and everyone looked up to see the newcomers. 

"…Hey, Oz," Buffy said hesitantly, gazing at his familiar face, and incredulously at the three girls walking a step behind him. Oz was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, guys, I want you to meet some people. This is Gina and Lisa and Laura," he said, pointing to each girl respectively, "and they're playing at the Bronze tomorrow night." The usual crew stood stock-still, trying to comprehend this unusual turn of events. Giles snapped out of his stupor first, which didn't surprise anyone.

"Very nice to meet you all," he said, smiling at the girls and shaking their hands. He took them in quickly, from Gina's gum-chomping to Laura's smirk to Lisa's bored stare to…Laura's…smirk…

Giles quickly returned to his position at the table and picked up a book. Buffy nodded to the girls and smiled graciously. "So, playing at the Bronze Saturday, huh? Oz is in a band too, you know--"

"Yeah."

"Dingoes Ate My Baby."

"We've heard them."

The three girls fired back their answers at rapid speed, smiling innocently. Buffy and the others were slightly taken aback. All, that is, except for Oz, who didn't seem to find anything amiss. 

"So what's the name of your band? Vice Girls?" Xander asked suddenly, eyeing Lisa's short skirt interestedly. Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, clever. You must be the brains of this operation," she said icily.

"No, actually, we're Cecelia Song," Gina broke in, glaring at Lisa. Lisa stared back at Gina, her usual slightly-sardonic expression settling on her face.

"Cecelia Song? I've heard of them," Xander said, a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Oh, well, seems we've _arrived_ then. Break out the champagne, girls, we're a smash," Lisa muttered. Laura subtly ground a stiletto heel into Lisa's foot.

"Ow!"

"Stop being frigid. He's interested."

"He's idiotic."

"He's standing a foot away from you," Xander said quietly, facing Lisa. She had the decency to blush. 

"Um, sorry. Didn't mean it. I'm sure you have excellent taste in music and everything."

"Well, obviously, since I listen to you guys."

Lisa stared at the boy, unable to believe he had actually succeeded in paying her a compliment. She suddenly smiled. "Hey, thanks. For that you get a free pass to tomorrow night's show." Xander grinned.

Everyone's attention was suddenly diverted as Wesley fell down the stairs. Xander and Buffy both snickered as he righted himself quickly and dusted off his suit. 

"Wesley Wendham-Price," he said, striding forward, his hand outstretched. He shook hands with all three girls before he turned to Laura, smiling a bit. Laura raised an unsure eyebrow--the boy was…off, somehow. He glanced at her union jack shirt and spoke.

"Your shirt is quite…patriotic. Are you a fellow countryman?" he asked, his accent very thick. Laura snickered.

"What, you mean you're from England? Never would have guessed," she grinned. "And no, I'm just a rebellious 'bloody colonial'."

"Oh," he said, shamefaced, and he cleared his throat. Laura laughed.

"What, just because I'm an American, I'm not worthy of conversation?" she grinned evilly. "Bet I know more about the Rolling Stones than _you_, brit boy." Giles' head snapped up from his book and he gazed at the redhead with appreciation from behind the library counter.

"What sort of band do you girls have?" he asked suddenly, surprising everyone, including himself. The three girls exchanged glances.

"Well, let me put it this way. You like the Backstreet Boys?" Gina asked.

"No."

"John Tesh?"

"Certainly not." Giles looked revolted.

"Britney Spears?"

"Who?"

"You'll like us, then," Gina grinned. "We like to think we transcend genre."

"Who plays…what instrument?" Wesley asked uncertainly. He was still puzzling over the "moving rocks" Laura had mentioned earlier.

"Gina's on the drums and Laura's vocals. And I play the guitar," Lisa said proudly. Oz gazed at Lisa with profound respect.

"Oz plays the guitar too," Buffy piped up, unwilling to let the strangers monopolize the _entire_ conversation. Lisa looked at Oz with interest. "Which sort do you play? Bass, rhythm or lead?" she asked.

"Bass," Oz replied.

"Cool. Hey, you should play with us. How about it, a Dingo-Cecelia crossbreed?" she asked, smiling.

"I'm thinking a 'hell yeah' is in order," Oz said contemplatively. "What do you play?"

"Rhythm."

"Cool."

"Well, good to meet you all. I'm afraid we've got to run, but hey, you all have free passes to the show for being so nice to us," Gina said decisively. "And tell everyone you know to show up, as I'm holding you all personally responsible if no one comes to our show."

Gina and Lisa smiled and waved to the group as they began to walk out. Lisa winked covertly at Xander, who blushed and suddenly became very interested in the etchings on the library table. Laura was a half-step behind them, but she stopped suddenly at the counter in front of Giles. She picked up a book and ran a finger down its spine, propping her elbows on the counter and lowering her voice. "Saw your reaction to my Stones reference. Is Sir Giles a closet rocker?" she smiled softly. "You don't have to answer. Mind if I borrow this?" she asked, holding the book to her chest protectively.

"Well, I don't--" Giles began bewilderedly.

"Good," Laura smiled. "You'll just have to come and find me to get it back." She then walked briskly out of the library just as Cordelia walked in.

"Hey everyone except Xander, what's new?" she asked. No one quite knew how to answer her.

***

Laura thumbed through the book as Lisa drove swiftly away from Sunnydale High. Gina leaned back over the front seat and looked on with interest.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked innocently.

"Reading. You wouldn't be interested," Laura replied tersely, not looking up from her book. Lisa snickered.

"Oh. Whatcha reading?" Gina asked, unfazed by the covert insult.

Laura held up her book so Gina could see the engraving on the spine.

"The…odd…oddi…Odyssey!" Gina finished triumphantly. Lisa glanced at Laura in rearview mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Very nice choice. Our first big cameo," she grinned. Laura grinned too, continuing to rifle through the pages.

"Saw you talking to the old man, Laura. Looking very cozy with the old man," Gina smirked, examining her nails.

"His _name_ is _Giles_," Laura said, glaring at Gina for a moment.

"I don't get you, Laura. You always go for the half-dead ones," Lisa admonished. Laura scowled at her.

"Pardon me for disagreeing, but I do believe Giles has more vitality about him than your sexy love kitten _Xander_."

Lisa frowned as she slowed the car at a stoplight. "You know I did my level best to drive him away. Much too innocent for my tastes."

"Oh, but you'd have such fun corrupting him!"

Gina stopped examining her nails suddenly. "How long are we going to be here?"

"Sunday morning," Lisa replied.

"What are we going to do tonight?" Gina asked.

"Well, I don't know. What do you _want_ to do tonight?" Lisa asked good-humoredly.

Gina flashed the other two girls a wicked grin. "Play," she said, cocking her head slightly.

"What are we going to do now?" Lisa asked. Laura looked up from her book.

"Go back to the hotel," she said, a slow smile spreading across her face, "and order room service." Lisa and Gina both began to laugh.

"Good call. I could use a bite," Lisa said.

"And then after that?" Laura asked as the stoplight turned green.

"We _play_!" Gina shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly. Laura and Lisa both burst into laughter as the car zoomed down the street.


	3. Chapter Two

"So you guys are coming to the show, right?" Oz asked a few moments after the girls left. He turned to face the others, rubbing his hands eagerly. Buffy, Xander, Giles and Wesley just stared at him, still a bit dumbfounded. Cordelia walked down the rows of books uninterestedly.

"I don't know, Oz. Those girls are…" Buffy began.

"Hot?" Xander supplied.

"Incredibly talented?" Oz offered.

"Attractive in their impertinence?" Wesley said suddenly. Everyone turned to stare at him. "_What_?" he asked defensively. 

"They're just…strange," Buffy finished lamely.

"Who's strange?" Willow asked as she walked through the library doors. She smiled at Oz and walked over to him, taking his hand.

"The girls in the band playing at the Bronze tomorrow. They're going to let me play with them, you _have_ to come and watch. You will, won't you?" Oz pleaded, nearly brushing noses with Willow as he used his most convincing puppy dog face (which, it being Oz, was pretty dang convincing). Willow grinned.

"Of course I'll come, if it's that important to you," she said. "Who's playing?"

"Oh, this way cool LA band called Cecelia Song. They're so _awesome_, Willow, you're just gonna…" Oz put his hands on his head excitedly in an attempt to find the right words, "you're gonna…" he floundered, looking at the several staring faces around the room, "stare at Oz because he's acting incredibly uncool."

"Not 'incredibly.' Just kinda," Willow smiled, innocently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Xander grinned.

"Well, you know I'll be there. That Lisa chick is h--" he began, but Buffy and Willow both shot him looks, "--alf the woman Buffy or Willow is, but you know, gotta support Oz," he said, half-heartedly punching the air for emphasis. Oz gave him a strange look and Xander slapped him on the back lightly. "Always here for ya, man." Cordelia looked a bit put out that Xander hadn't mentioned her and exacted revenge by walking over and engaging Wesley in a deep conversation about the latest "Cosmo."

"Thanks," Oz said off-handedly. "Coming, Buff?"

"Nope. Patrol," she said simply.

"Oh, let Giles take it. You've got to come," Willow whined. Giles looked up from the counter and opened his mouth in protest. He thought better of it, though, and said grudgingly, "Yes, I could take patrol tomorrow night, if you want." _Bloody hell, I actually wanted to _see_ that show…_

"Don't sound so excited, Giles."

Xander grinned evilly. "Well, I don't know, Buff. Giles might need to go to get his 'book,'" he began, emphasizing the word book by using the universal parentheses hand sign, "back from Laura. Right, Giles? Very important book? Need saving from pretty girl?" Giles shot him a look.

Buffy's eyes widened slightly. "Sounds dangerous. You should tackle that issue, Giles. I'll stay with the safe demon-hunting job." _Besides, that way Buffy gets quality time with Angel. Win-win_, she added internally. 

"You're sure?" Giles asked hesitantly. "You wouldn't rather go to the…concert with your friends?" _Oh please let her say no please please…_

"No!" Buffy said firmly. "You go. Associate with real people instead of fictional ones. It'll be good for you, Giles," she said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "And now, if we've all made our weekend plans, Biology beckons."

Giles nodded, thankful, and the students gathered their books and began to walk out of the door. "We'll see you after school, okay?" Willow asked. 

"Sounds fine," Giles replied, picking up another book and moving to his familiar spot at the table. "Have fun in classes, all," he said just as the doors slammed shut.

"I'm so glad the Slayer is becoming more responsible with her patrolling duties," Wesley remarked as soon as the younger set was safely out of sight. Giles glanced up from his book at the younger man.

"Yes, she's stopped being so…impertinent. But perhaps you found that a bit attractive, Wesley, are you sure her maturity is such a good thing?" Giles asked quietly, returning his attention to his book. Wesley stared, surprised, at the older Watcher.

"When I said that, I didn't _mean_--"

"I know."

"But you must understand--"

"I do." Giles smiled a bit as the younger man walked off in a huff. The day was shaping up quite nicely.

***

"Bored now," Gina said, dangling Laura's library book from two fingers. "Stupid book. No _pictures_," she whined. Lisa rolled her eyes as she tuned her guitar. Laura didn't respond, as she was much too busy reapplying eyeliner. "Can we go play?" Gina asked petulantly. She glanced at the clock, which read 7:30. "Play now?"

"Where would we go?"

"Hmm…dunno."

"There's a UC in Sunnydale, you know," Laura said as she examined her reflection in the mirror. "We could go there and stir up some trouble."

"Oh, fun!" Gina laughed, bouncing lightly on the hotel bed. "Can we? Huh, Lisa?"

"You can't cause any trouble, Gina. Remember last time?"

"Not my fault. Stupid boys."

Laura put the top back on her eyeliner and faced the two other girls. "Oh, come on, Lisa. College boys, easily swayed. Pretty please?"

"_Like_ trouble," Gina pouted. "Trouble's _fun_," she grinned. Lisa regarded the two girls for a moment before breaking into a smile. "All right. To the Mirthmobile!"

"Yay!" Gina cried, jumping off the bed. Laura grinned and checked her eyeliner for smudges one last time as they hurried out the door.

***

Laura, Lisa and Gina walked around the quad of UC Sunnydale for nearly 20 minutes, wandering aimlessly as they searched for a good opportunity to wreak havoc. Laura said she had an idea and suddenly left the other two and made a beeline for a large group of students. In five minutes, she was walking back to the others with a stunned boy in tow.

She brought him up to Lisa and Gina and smiled slyly. "Russell, this is Lisa and Gina," she said, pointing to each girl. Gina sauntered over to the young man, staring at him blatantly. "Oooh, pretty," she declared, touching the buttons on his letterman jacket lightly. "Pretty pretty," she said again, moving up to his hair as she unreservedly began to run her fingers through it. 

"It's…actually…um, Randall," the boy pointed out as Gina continued her exploration. 

"Whatever," Laura said distractedly, glancing at Gina and snapping her fingers. Gina pouted and took her place besides Lisa, still staring at Randall ravenously.

"Want to help us incite a riot, Randy?" Laura asked mischievously. She raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for his response. He gazed at her and said cautiously, "What would I get in return?"

"Hmm…good question. How about…Gina as a playmate? Sound fair?" Laura said, patting Gina lightly on the shoulder. Lisa snickered as Gina walked back over to Randall and resumed her game.

"Oh yeah. Yeah, _definitely _fair," Randall squeaked. 

"Good. Now, here's a list of what we need…" Laura began, pulling Randall away from Gina and leaning her head conspiratorially toward his.

***

The campus of UC Sunnydale had seen more than its share of supernatural occurrences. Of course, they weren't _really_ supernatural. Just lots of natural disasters and rashes of spontaneous deaths and neck openings on students. Consequently, UC Sunnydale's student body was particularly jaded and worldly--even more so than normal college students. 

Amazing, then, how an impromptu performance by an indie LA band could halt progress on the quad quite completely.

Laura, Lisa and Gina grinned down at the crowd from their lofty position on a picnic table. Randall, urged on by the promise of casual…_everything_ from Gina, had managed to intimidate the audio-visual lab into equipping the girls with mics and attaching them to the PA system. From the table, Gina gave Randall a little wink.

They just stood there for a moment, taking in the scene. Students had begun milling around, as three interesting-looking (re: scantily clad) women standing on a tabletop wasn't a common sight (even in southern California). Lisa shoved Laura a little, and Laura took a tiny step forward, posturing for the crowd. A few whistles pierced the air, but none of the girls paid them heed.

"Hel-_lo_, Sunnydale!" Laura suddenly shouted, striking a pose. Most of the crowd cheered. Laura flashed her stage grin and cocked her head slightly. "Do you even know what we are, Sunnydale?"

"_HOT_!" One male voice echoed from the back of the milling crowd. The three girls snickered.

"Besides that," Laura said. "_We_ are Cecelia Song. And _we_ _LOVE_ Sunnydale. And _we_ are playing at the Bronze tomorrow. And _we_ are going to give you a sneak preview," she said. "That is, if you promise to come to our performance. Will you do that, Sunnydale?" she asked, pouting for effect. Gina and Lisa both assumed beseeching expressions and the males in the audience howled their consent.

Laura grinned at the audience. "Good," she said simply, and stepped back into her spot with the other two girls. They gave each other a quick glance, and the performance suddenly began.

Lisa began the song, softly and slowly singing as she swayed her hips almost imperceptibly. During the third line, however, she surprised everyone by gradually crescendoing into an almost-scream. Laura and Lisa joined in on the last line of the first refrain just as loudly. The crowd cheered them on; all three girls were grateful to Randall and his buddies for forming a protective wall around their table.

__

I can't get no satisfaction   
I can't get no satisfaction   
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try   
I can't get no, I can't get no   
  
Laura suddenly took the lead, walking up to the very edge of the table and glaring at the audience with the piercing gaze familiar to all those in the business. 

_When I'm drivin' in my car   
And that man comes on the radio   
And he's tellin' me more and more   
About some useless information   
Supposed to fire my imaGination   
I can't get no, oh no no no   
Hey hey hey, that's what I say   
  
_The three girls all jumped around during the refrain, encouraging the audience to sing along. Car alarms began blaring in the parking lots, which only seemed to add to the incredible energy in the quad. The students in the front of the crowd had formed an impromptu mosh pit (to a Stones song, the girls noted ironically) and they all screamed along as Gina, Lisa and Laura sang the refrain at the top of their lungs.

__

I can't get no satisfaction   
I can't get no satisfaction   
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try   
I can't get no, I can't get no   
  
Gina suddenly took the lead, sauntering into the "spotlight" as she sang. At the third line, she grinned wickedly and pantomimed taking off her shirt, inciting howls of frustration and admiration from the crowd. 

When I'm watchin' my TV   
And that man comes on to tell me   
How white my shirts can be   
Well he can't be a man 'cause he doesn't smoke

  
The same cigarettes as me   
I can't get no, oh no no no   
Hey hey hey, that's what I say   
  
I can't get no satisfaction, the girls all sang at top-volume, maintaining the pitch and velocity throughout the rest of the song._  
I can't get no girly action.   
'Cause I try, and I try, and I try, and I try   
I can't get no, I can't get no   
  
When I'm ridin' round the world   
And I'm doin' this and I'm signing that   
And I'm tryin' to make some girl   
Who tells me baby better come back later next week   
'Cause you see I'm on losing streak   
I can't get no, oh no no no   
Hey hey hey, that's what I say   
  
I can't get no, I can't get no   
I can't get no satisfaction   
No satisfaction, no satisfaction, no satisfaction_

They ended, letting the note die away into the spring air. The crowd screamed their approval and Lisa, Gina and Laura bowed shortly. "Didja like that, Sunnydale?" Gina asked the crowd, raising her hands above her head. The students shouted and clapped and stormed about. Many of the males in the audience had begun to get glassy-eyed after the song, swaying slightly as they cheered until they were lightheaded.

Lisa sauntered up to the front of the table and spoke, her mic magnifying her voice for the audience. "One more song, kids. We've got to rest our voices for tomorrow night. And it's past our bedtime," she grinned. 

The audience waited, silent, for another song. After a moment, the three girls began, singing slowly and softly and in perfect harmony, and almost mournfully. The notes rang out over the audience, clear and so bright one could almost see them.

__

Go to sleep, little baby

Go to sleep, little baby

Your momma's gone away and your daddy's gonna stay 

Didn't leave nobody but the baby

Go to sleep, little baby,

Go to sleep, little baby,

Everybody's gone and the cotton and the corn

Didn't leave nobody but the baby

You're sweet, little baby

You're sweet, little baby

Honey and the rock and the sugar don't stop

gonna bring that bottle to the baby

Don't you weep, pretty baby

Don't you weep, pretty baby

She's long gone with 'er red shoes on

gonna need another lovin' baby

Go to sleep little baby

Go to sleep little baby

You and me and the devil makes three

don't need no other lovin' baby

Go to sleep, little baby

Go to sleep, little baby

Come lay your bones on the alabaster stones

and be my ever lovin' baby

The last note died away slowly, leaving the audience silent and stunned. The three girls on the table looked around almost nervously, as no one in the crowd had moved. Every male in the audience had achieved in his eyes a glassy sort of look, as if they had all gone into a trance. Some members of the audience that night later claimed they could _see_ the notes of the song, hovering above them, caught shimmering in the night air. And indeed, there seemed to be a green-glow ethereal haze surrounding the quad. 

Someone in the back finally began to clap, and the idea caught on; the applause rippled toward Cecelia Song in waves. They smiled and hopped off the table one-by-one, protected still by Randall and his friends, who were looking rather dazed themselves. Gina tapped on Randall's shoulder and gave him a grin as he escorted her off the quad. Laura and Lisa had already run ahead, being pestered by at least 15 boys each as they fought over the driver's seat.

"Wanna come have fun now?" Gina asked Randall innocently, tossing her hair out of her eyes. "And get me lots of presents?" she grinned. He grinned back. 

"Most definitely."

She and Randall jumped into the back of the convertible amid the other chosen few Laura and Lisa had selected from the crowd, and they zoomed away from the campus and into the new night sky.

Four hours later

"Well, they didn't last very long, did they?"

"That's the problem with college boys. No stamina."

"True, they can only learn that from experience."

"Ah well. We educated them, then."

The three girls snickered as they walked down a back street of Sunnydale. Laura flicked a cigarette butt into a nearby gutter and lit up a new one.

"Christ, Laura. You know those things age you prematurely. You'll have brown teeth," Lisa sneered as she reached into her purse for her hidden flask.

"Right, and your liver is just standing up and thanking you for a few millennia of alcoholism," Laura snorted. "Besides, this face'll last forever," she grinned nastily. "You know that."

"Unfortunately," Gina muttered. She shrieked and laughed as Laura tried to shove her into a ditch. "Well, it's not _my _fault you got cursed with pasty-pale skin, Goth Girl!"

"My skin's not pasty!" Laura cried, clenching her fingers into a fist and hauling back into her familiar punching stance. Gina suddenly left off teasing Laura and stood stock still in the middle of the street. The other two girls stopped as well, looking at their third member with interest. 

"What's up, buttercup?" Lisa asked Gina, glancing at her curiously. Gina frowned for a minute, then broke into a huge smile.

"Well, I didn't know _he_ was in town!" she laughed, and began walking in a completely different path. Laura and Lisa looked at each other for a moment before running after. "Gina, have you gone crazy? The only thing that way is the cemetery!"

***

It was a good night to be a vampire.

More specifically, it was a good night to be Spike the Vampire. 

There had been some sort of festivity at UC Sunnydale, which meant lots of disoriented college girls looking to have a good time. And Drusilla wouldn't think much of an occasional bite. So there was lots of fun there.

And Dru had relented on the record collection controversy, so he was going to be reunited with his good friend Johnny Rotten as soon as he could find where he stashed them all in the old crypt.

And the Slayer was nowhere to be found. Probably doing something stupid and heroic like saving the world with her groupies in tow. Far far away from his old crypt.

Truly, the night could not have a down-side.

***

Gina walked determinedly through the graveyard, hopping over tombstones and tromping flower arrangements when they got in her way.

"Gina, you just walked all over that bunch of lilies…"

"So?"

"Well, it was pretty."

"So?"

"So would you _mind _telling us why you're walking through a cemetery like a woman on a mission?"

Gina didn't answer, she just kept her steady drill-sergeant gait and stomped firmly on a rather beautiful (and expensive) wreath of white roses.

Five minutes later she stopped suddenly at a decrepit old crypt. "Why the hell would he be here?" she wondered aloud. Laura and Lisa caught up with her and gave each other worried looks. Maybe Gina's less-than-intelligent act hadn't been an act after all…

"Um…who?" Lisa ventured tentatively.

"But I _know_ he's here, it's absolutely clear…" she trailed off, still ignoring Laura and Lisa. She began banging on the entrance of the crypt. "He's here, I _know_ he's here! Oh, you'll love him, girls, he's absolutely the most fun ev—" she was cut off as the crypt entrance was suddenly flung wide open.

A man with decidedly platinum hair and an obvious penchant for black leather stood in front of them. He glared at them crossly, a crate of old records in one hand and the other holding the crypt door firmly in place.

"What do you want?" he questioned sharply, more interested in not dropping his records than in greeting his guests.

"Wills! Don't you recognize me?" Gina cried happily, throwing her arms out in a gesture of friendliness. The man looked up from his record collection and gave her a thorough looking-over. His eyebrows suddenly raised in recognition.

"…Gina?"

"Ha, you _do_ remem—" Gina began, but she was not allowed to finish her statement, as the man suddenly slammed the crypt door shut in her face.

***

"Come on, William! Open up!" Gina shouted as she pounded on the crypt door. "Wills?" Laura and Lisa both stared at her in amusement and confusion. She continued to pound on the door to no avail, and finally became frustrated and walked ten paces away from the door.

"Gina? Doing all right there?" Lisa asked. Gina didn't answer, just stared intensely at the door for a moment, before letting out a piercing scream and rushing toward it. She suddenly jumped and planted both feet against the door, which still stood. Gina didn't, however, and as she crashed fantastically to the ground, Laura and Lisa both burst into hysterical laughter. Gina got up, an intense frown on her face, and dusted herself off as she surveyed her two partners in crime who were now both writhing on the ground with laughter.

"Shut up, you guys," she grumbled, going back to the crypt door. Laura and Lisa couldn't obey as they lay on the ground gasping for air.

"_WILLIAM! _William, you bloody stupid wanker if you don't open this door _right now_—" she began. And then the door suddenly opened.

The man obviously named William stood in the doorway, surveying Gina with an intense look of loathing. "Well, hey, kid, how's tricks? Gawd, what the hell did you do to your _hair_? That'll take some getting used to. But hey, it looks good. Very edgy. Very…sculpted. How much hair gel do you go through in a month?" Gina asked lightheartedly. The man walked out of the doorway and laid his records carefully on the ground. He then stalked over to Gina.

"What in the name of all that's unholy are you doing here, wench?" he growled, advancing on Gina. She didn't cower a bit, which was something he was obviously unused to. 

"Oh, not much," she said brightly. "Playing at the Bronze tomorrow. Hey, wanna come?" she asked, giving the man a wide smile. "Free passes!" 

"No thank you. I've had enough of your singing to last me two hundred lifetimes," he snarled. "And just where do you get off calling me 'William'? 'Wanker' I could understand, I get called that a lot nowadays, but _William_?"

"Well, that's your name."

"No. The name's _Spike_. And don't get used to it, as I'm sure we won't be seeing much of each other. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go be anywhere else now."

Gina pouted. "Oh, you're not still sore about that whole…vampire thing, are you? It's been over a century."

"No, actually, I rather like that part. It's the whole seducing me and taking all my money and leaving me stranded in Brighton with nothing more than a pair of women's underthings. D'you know how many laws there are in Brighton against men wearing women's underthings in public? Especially to dinner theatre?" Spike asked grudgingly. Laura and Lisa both clapped a hand against their mouths as they tried to muffle their laughter.

"Um…oops?" Gina supplied. Spike glared at her. "Well, that was a whole _century_ ago, Will. I've grown a lot since then, I'm more mature now." Laura couldn't help herself and snorted into her hand. Spike looked at her quickly as she bit her lip. 

"Um, sorry. She is…lots…um. She's mature." Laura nodded her head in an effort to look sincere.

"When compared to what?" he deadpanned.

"…Ever seen 'Billy Madison'?" Lisa joked. Spike looked at her quizzically. "Um. Right. Guess not then."

"Who are they?" he asked Gina interestedly. 

Gina looked over at the two girls, as if seeing them for the very first time, and said. "Oh. Those are the other two girls in the band. They're like me too."

"Obviously not. They can use words with more than one syllable."

"Oh, now don't be bitter, Wills," she said calmly as Spike walked over to the other girls.

"Oh, now _you're_ a pretty little thing," he said coolly, looking Lisa over. She regarded him boredly. 

"I know. Gee, you're so astute, Mister Vampire Man with a Bad Dye Job."

Spike smirked at her, and turned to Laura. "Is she always like this?"

"No. Sometimes she's mean," Laura said, a smirk on her face as well. He reached over and touched a lock of her hair.

"Pity I don't like redheads. You sound like you're fun."

"Nah, you couldn't handle me," Laura said decidedly, crossing her arms over her chest in an effort to block Spike's view. "Too much male posturing; you're compensating for something." Spike's demeanor changed in an instant. He walked back over to Gina.

"I don't like her," he told the blonde. "She thinks she's clever." Gina was busy looking through his record collection.

"Yes, nasty habit of hers…" she said distractedly, holding up a Sex Pistols record. "Too much early punk. You know, _William_, I think you'd do well to invest in some jazz. Get rid of those violent tendencies," she stated. She looked up at the vampire and smiled slowly. "Not that I mind the violent tendencies. Some of them were quite entertaining." Spike flinched as though he'd been slapped. Gina stood up and grinned lazily at him. "Remember, Wills? Remember the night at the fair? You said you _loved_ me then." She wrapped an arm around his waist, and Spike suddenly shoved her away and distanced himself from her.

"Yeah, and that was before you told Angel and Drusilla it was my lifelong dream to become a vampire. And before you told me you were over 3000 years old. And before you told everyone in Bath that I liked little boys," he snarled.

"Oh, that last one wasn't me," Gina piped up, unabashed by Spike's accusations.

"Well who was it then?" he growled.

"I dunno. Maybe Johnny Chaplain?"

Spike looked dumbfounded. "That wanker said that?" He stared at his hands for a moment before he roared "_BLOODY HELL!_ He ruined my reputation, that little toad! I swear if I had the chance I'd kill him all over again! With lots more bloodshed and mangling!"

Gina giggled. "Of course you would, hon. Now…you wouldn't mind giving us a ride back to our car, would you? It's dark out and we have a few decades' catching up to do and we don't want to get into any trouble," she said innocently, twirling her hair. Spike snorted.

"Sure you don't. And yes, I most definitely mind giving you a ride, as the last time I spent more than ten minutes in your company I ended up undead. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said pertly, picking up his records and walking swiftly away from them.

Gina stared at him, dumbfounded. "I won't forget this, you…you…peroxided prick!" she shouted. Lisa and Laura looked at her in amazement. 

"Nice one. Think of that yourself?" Laura asked.

"Shut up. Let's go home."

***

"Oh, pretty please a detour? Need caffeine jolt…must…have…caffeine," Laura said, throwing yet another cigarette butt into the ditch and pretending to stumble all over the street. Lisa and Gina both rolled their eyes at her, and followed her lead into the coffeehouse. Gina was still grumbling about her run-in with William/Spike, and Lisa was inwardly thankful that Laura had provided her a moment's relief from Gina's play-by-play analysis of the conversation ("But when he said _this,_ I think he really meant…").

Laura ran inside before the others and walked directly up to the cashier. "Yeah, hi, double mocha grande with extra whipped cream _from a can_, not that awful…tub-stuff,and little chocolate shavings on top. Oh, and I'll give you five bucks if you'll put the can of whipped cream on the side." The cashier, who looked a bit dazed, nodded and began to put Laura's order together.

Laura drummed her fingers impatiently on the counter. She saw Lisa and Gina flirting with some very "coffeehouse" boys on the other side of the room and rolled her eyes. She had had enough of the opposite sex for--

"Laura? What a surprise!" a familiar male voice sounded behind her. She whipped around and very nearly collided with Giles and his drink. Her eyes grew wide with astonishment.

"Um. Hi?" she said tentatively, as Giles held out his hand. Laura shook it hesitantly, extremely flustered, and, truth be told, more than a little willing to amend her earlier thought. 

"It's…uh, it's Giles. From the library this morning?" Giles said embarrassedly, glancing around the room. Laura laughed a bit, more at her ease.

"I remember. I stole your book. Come to get it back, have you?" she teased as she plunked down the money for her drink and took the cup. Giles smiled a bit. 

"Um, no, actually, I have a long-standing engagement here," he began, offering his arm and guiding Laura to a table very near the front of the room as he spoke. Laura ignored the loud whoops of encouragement coming from Lisa's and Gina's table. "Every Friday night." Laura looked down at her drink.

"Ohhhh. Is this a _female_ sort of engagement, Sir Giles? Have a nasty little coffeehouse rendezvous?" she grinned. Giles laughed, a bit shocked.

"Well, I suppose it is, in a manner of speaking. All except for the…rendezvous part. Laura, meet Layla," he said, hauling a guitar case onto the table and opening it. Laura gazed at the instrument in wonder.

"Wow," she said. "It's so…_big_."

Giles smiled proudly. "Well, thank you."

Laura touched it tentatively. "Can I…touch it?"

"Of course. Just be careful, it's more sensitive than it looks."

"Oh, I will."

They both seemed to realize the double meanings of their conversations at the same time. Laura blushed crimson and Giles coughed, trying to change the subject as he handed the guitar to her.

"I see…Lisa and Gina have made some new friends," he said, nodding over to the other two-thirds of the band. Laura smiled ruefully. 

"Lisa and Gina do well in large groups of…very grungy looking boys, what the heck?" she wondered, staring at the boys at the other table incredulously. "Oh, gross, girls. We can do better than _that._"

Giles stared at her. "Um, sorry," she said, turning her attention back to the guitar and her drink.

"Quite all right."

She handed the guitar back to Giles and reached for the can of whipped cream and shook it violently. "Any food that comes in an aerosol can automatically receives a rating of 'cool,'" she said firmly. She tipped the can upside down and held it in both hands and she proceeded to create a tower of whipped cream eight inches tall. Giles' eyes widened in amazement. Laura looked up from her creation, licking a finger as she steadied her own whipped Leaning Tower of Pisa. She looked up at him. "Want some?" she asked innocently, holding out the can. 

"Er…no thanks," he said dazedly, waving to a coffeeshop employee's signal. "Actually, I think I'm being called up. D'you want to stay and, um," he mumbled, gesturing toward the stage.

"Well _yeah_. Wouldn't miss Stodgy LibraryMan shedding his bookworm demeanor for anything," Laura grinned. Giles nodded and walked up to the stage. A few of the coffeehouse patrons (_obviously _regulars, they could barely hold their cups, their hands were shaking so violently) applauded as he walked over to the microphone and chair.

"Thank you, thank you all. I'm…Rupert Giles and I'd like to introduce a new friend of mine. Three new friends, actually," he said, scratching his forehead with his guitar pick. "Lisa and Gina, sitting over there in the corner," Lisa and Gina both got up and took very low bows as the boys they were sitting with clapped and cheered raucously, "and Miss Laura, a fellow musician and bookworm." He smiled at Laura, who waved placidly to the members of the room.

"Right, and so here we go," he said, sitting on the stool and situating his guitar correctly. He strummed a few odd notes and began to sing a rather contemplative version of a well-known song.

__

A winter's day 

In a deep and dark December 

I am alone 

Gazing from my window 

To the streets below 

On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow 

I am a rock 

I am an island 

I've built walls 

A fortress deep and mighty 

That none may penetrate 

I have no need for friendship 

Friendship causes pain 

Its laughter and its loving I disdain. 

I am a rock 

I am an island 

Don't talk of love 

Well, I've heard the word before 

It's sleeping in my memory 

I won't disturb the slumber 

Of feelings that have died 

If I'd never loved, I never would have cried 

I am a rock 

I am an island 

I have my books 

And my poetry to protect me 

I am shielded in my armor 

Hiding in my room 

Safe within my womb 

I touch no one and no one touches me 

I am a rock 

I am an island 

And the rock feels no pain 

And an island never cries. 

Giles finished, strumming the last string meditatively as the members of the coffeehouse clapped sedately. 

_He has a very nice voice. Wonder why the hell he's a librarian_, Laura thought to herself as she clapped for him. Giles smiled at his audience and began again, this time playing "With or Without You" by U2. 

Fifteen more minutes passed as Giles held his audience captive with his songs. They were, for the most part, very…_Giles_, except for his energetic performance of the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Sedated," through which Laura, Lisa and Gina giggled hysterically. Laura grinned as he finally rejoined her at the table.

"Very nice performance, Giles. Very…Mtv Unplugged. How long have you played the guitar?" she asked, pointing to the instrument Giles was putting away.

"Quite a few years, actually. Got it ages ago. Teenage lad, mad at his father, buys a guitar to put his emotional turmoil to music. Starts a band. That whole story."

"Ah. How very Nirvana of you."

"Yes. Although…to be fair, most of our songs smelled far worse than teen spirit," Giles smiled, taking off his glasses slightly and rubbing them on the tablecloth.

"Ooh! Ten points for the pop culture reference! Knew you sneaked in a few Peoples amid the old reference volumes," Laura said.

"Oh, only because Wesley steals the library's Cosmos as soon as they come in," Giles grinned. Laura snickered. 

"Really?" 

"Oh yes. He doesn't think I know, though."

"How interesting."

"'Disturbing,' I'd say," Giles said calmly as he sipped his drink.

"That too. Wanna play with me tomorrow night?"

Giles choked a bit on his coffee and put his cup down. "Excuse me?"

"Well, we don't have a lead guitar in the band. And now we have someone among our acquaintance who can play a lead guitar, and…" Laura trailed off, taking the whipped cream can and using it to draw a design on the tablecloth.

"Oh. …Perform with you. Well, I'm not sure I'd…blend well with your sort of band. You know, Stodgy LibraryMan?" Giles said hesitantly. Laura stopped her artistic work on the table and looked at him sharply.

"I was kidding when I said that and you know it," Laura said, punctuating her words with the nozzle of the whipped cream can. "You've been outed with your little show up there, Giles, you can't pretend you're a Forever Tweed Englishman now. …D'you have a pair of leather pants?" Laura asked suddenly, putting the nozzle into her mouth and spraying a bit into it.

"Pardon me?" Giles said, a bit dizzy from the pace of the conversation.

"Never mind, we'll just _have_ to dress you up tomorrow for the show. You'll play for us, won't you Giles? Please?" she pouted. "I'll…give you my precious whipped cream," she pleaded, holding out the can.

Giles stared at her. "Um…perform with you? Truly? …No thanks, I don't like whipped cream," he said as Laura shoved the can into his face.

"…Oh, you'd like it after I showed you a few tricks with it."

"What?"

"Nothing," she smiled brightly, putting the can down on the table. "So you'll play with us tomorrow? We do easy songs. You'll love them. And we'll dress you up all pretty and oh everyone'll just _die_. You'll be so cool, Giles," Laura said emphatically.

"Well…all right," Giles smiled, clutching his cup tightly with both hands. "It'll be an adventure."

"Oh, most definitely," Laura grinned. "But don't worry, I won't let Lisa and Gina do too many mean things to you."

"Good. Because if I end up a blonde or in alligator print, I'm holding you personally responsible," he said sternly, gazing at Laura over the rims of his glasses.

"Nah, blonde's not your color. I'll take care of you, Giles," Laura said simply, grabbing the whipped cream can again and shaking it violently in preparation for another attack on her coffee cup.

"I'm sure you will," he remarked softly as he sipped his coffee.


	4. Chapter Three

It was almost noon before Giles heard anything from the three girls. He was beginning to wonder if he had been something of a one-night stand, musically speaking.

And it was, of course, then that the telephone rang.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Libraryman. Ready to rock and roll?"

"Erm. Who's this?"

"Oh, brutally rebuffed! It's Lisa, Sir Giles."

"Oh."

"…Although you might know me more as 'a friend of Laura's'."

"No, of course I remember y--"

"Don't sweat it, daddy-o. Are we still on for tonight? You really going to be our guinea pig?"

"Well, yes, I suppose--"

"Rock on. We'll pick you up in ten minutes."

"T-ten minutes…?"

The dial tone that greeted Giles' last question wasn't much of a shock. The conversation hadn't lasted ten seconds. As he messed with his hair and examined his reflection in the mirror, Giles wondered what exactly La--the three girls had in store for him. They hadn't really been serious about the feather boa, had they?

Eight minutes and twenty-two seconds later, the now-familiar blue convertible screeched to a halt outside Giles' apartment building. He peered out of the open front window and Laura yelled from the backseat of the convertible, "Hey there. Are we too late? Has some other band snatched you up?"

"No, I'm still available. Y-you caught a lucky break," he shouted back reservedly, a little worried at what the neighbors might think. Laura grinned at him.

"Don't I know it. Now come on, Sir Giles. Or do you need an escort?" she asked, laughing.

"N-no, that's all right. I'll be down in a moment." And with that, Giles' head disappeared from the window.

In the car, the three girls giggled happily. "He's kinda cute, in that lost-puppy-dog way," Gina said suddenly. Lisa and Laura both grinned. 

"It's the accent, I think. And the way he takes off his glasses," Lisa said thoughtfully. Laura nodded in agreement.

"And the whole…lets us do whatever we want to him in the name of fashion thing," she added.

"Yes, there's that."

"Oh, most definitely."

They all waved as Giles appeared from the apartment front doors and jogged toward them, his sweater draped over one arm. The three girls all sighed inwardly.

"But he's not as sexy as William," Gina said suddenly.

"Right. He doesn't have that whole 'I'd kill you if I got the chance' vibe. How _could _he even stand a chance?" Laura deadpanned. Gina wasn't allowed an opportunity to retaliate as Giles had reached the car by this point. He surprised them all by not waiting for a door to be opened, but managing, if a bit awkwardly, to vault into the backseat beside Laura.

"Nice one," Lisa said appreciatively.

"I give it a 5.7," Gina sniffed, still a little miffed at Laura for insulting Spike.

"Oh, 6.0 all the way," Lisa said as she put the car into gear.

"Bah. A 5.3 from the Russian judge," Laura grinned, taking the sweater from Giles as he sought after his seat belt. "I'm very hard to please," she explained. "And _this_," she said, holding up the sweater, "is what we're not going to see anymore of. No more sweaters and no more ties," she said, taking the sweater and pulling it over her head. "You're not getting this back until after the show tonight. We're going to make you a _star_," she said happily, poking Giles in the chest.

"Sounds right to me," he said suddenly, letting one arm dangle outside the convertible door. "Where are we going first?"

"Gotta pick up our other guest guitarist. Then we're going to go, as Gina would say, _play_," Lisa said as the car sped off. Giles nodded and settled back into his seat.

"…Wait, Oz is coming too?"

***

As in any small American town, there is one boutique in Sunnydale which drives parental figures insane with illogical fear. And drives their teenage children insane with the desire to walk through its doors.

This was, of course, the boutique the Extended Cecelia Song went to first.

***

"These would be fun," Gina said, holding up a pair of jeans that were more holes than fabric. "What say ye, Guitarzans?" she asked Oz and Giles. 

Giles looked up from the orange vinyl pants he was scrutinizing with a look of vague fear on his features. "Definitely not."

"Oz?"

"What, are you kidding me?"

"Fine." She threw the jeans down petulantly. A store employee rushed to pick them up.

"Out of curiosity," Giles began, "just how many nicknames do you have for us?" he asked as he picked up a pair of fingerless gloves.

"Hard to tell," Gina said. "We made a list last night."

"Did you now?"

"It's _Sunnydale_," Lisa said. "What else were we supposed to do, go to the park and feed the pigeons?"

Giles cleared his throat, unwilling to start an argument. "I think I'll go…find a newspaper."

"Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, or local?" the cashier at the front desk suddenly asked as Giles made a beeline for the exit. He stopped short.

"Pardon?"

"You want the Post, Wall Street, Times, or local? We got most big names here," said the clerk, chomping on his gum as he regarded the older man casually. Giles took off his glasses slowly, staring at the pierced and tattooed young man nervously. "Dyed hair and tattoos don't automatically mean someone's ignorant, dude," the cashier said boredly. "Just a little lacking in the common sense department," he grinned, a glint of metal shining in his mouth as he continued. "Now, Post, Wall Street, Times, or local?"

Giles recovered from his impromptu education remarkably quickly. "Er, local, I think would suffice." He murmured his thanks as the clerk presented him with the daily edition of Sunnydale's newspaper.

"No prob, man. And if you don't mind me saying, you'd be better in dark colors than anything on that rack," the clerk said, pointing to the rack of clothing Giles had been looking through. Laura suddenly appeared at Giles' side, gazing at the clerk with interest. Kindred spirit flashed to kindred spirit and the two regarded each other with respect.

"How long you worked here, kid?" she asked.

"Long enough to know your friend isn't going to manage the N*Sync look."

"Yeah, I know. I was thinking of an early punk sort of thing, you know? Safety pins and ripped jeans?"

"Nah, he's too nonviolent for that. Never work."

"How so?"

"You can just _tell_, man. Bet the guy's never been in a bar brawl in his life."

"Actually, you'd be surprised…" Giles began. The two looked at him in disbelief. "Um. Right, well, yes, I'll just…have another look around…" he said, retreating back to the rack of clothing.

***

On the other end of the store, Oz held up a pair of leopard-print purple pants. "What do you think?" he asked a nearby Lisa.

"Oh, yeah, definitely."

"You think?"

"Sure. If you're openly homosexual." She walked over to him and gently took the pants out of his grasp. "Three cardinal rules: stay away from the colors pink and purple, avoid glitter at all costs, and dragons are never as cool as people pretend they are." Oz nodded sagely. Lisa rummaged through a stack of clothing and pulled out an old top hat. "This, however," she began, "has definite potential." She put the hat on Oz's head and went back to the stack of clothing, diving into it with vigor. Oz stared at her from under the brim of the hat incredulously.

***

"You don't think he could pull off the Billy Idol thing?"

"Not without a bleach job and a facelift."

"Oh, now _that_ was a bit harsh," came a muffled Giles voice from behind the dressing-room curtain. "I was told several times during my day that I could pass for Billy Idol."

"Yeah? Tell me, did those people who told you that ever exhibit other strange behavior? Walking into doorways, talking to plants, that sort of thing?" the clerk, whose name was Henry, asked sarcastically. Giles poked his head out of the curtain.

"You don't happen to be related to a Xander Harris, do you?"

Laura shoved him back into the dressing room. "Come on, Giles, we don't have all day."

"I'm not coming out in this."

"Well, if you're worried about coming out, I have some excellent leopard-print purple pants and a feather boa you might like."

"Young man, the percentage of strange-looking adolescents in this town is not so depleted that your disappearance would leave your employer with no one to hire. Remember that before you insult me."

"…Did you understand a word of that?" Henry asked Laura, who was standing a few feet away from the dressing room and giggling. She cleared her throat.

"Giles, please come out and let me see."

"Absolutely not."

"Oh, come on."

"I look an ass."

"What's the difference?" Henry muttered.

"I _heard_ that, you little git."

"Bet you look dead sexy, Giles, come on. If not we can always find something else."

"All right, I'll come out. But get that miserable little boy out of my sight."

Laura motioned for Henry to make himself scarce. He rolled his eyes and went over to Oz and Lisa to referee their "discussion" about orange vinyl pants.

"He's gone now."

"Promise you won't laugh."

"All right, I promise."

Giles' head poked out of the dressing room curtain to make sure Henry was gone. He sighed. "All right." He stepped out of the room.

Laura choked.

"Oh, that's it, I'm going out to the car," he fumed, rushing back into the safety of the dressing room, pulling his shirt over his head as he fumbled to close the curtains. Laura walked over to the dressing room and helped him with the curtain.

"Well…maybe crushed velvet isn't your style."

"Well spotted. I look like Austin bloody Powers."

"With better teeth," Laura provided helpfully. She scrutinized the outfit Giles was hastily taking off. "Yellow is definitely not your color."

"Thanks _so_ much. I amend my previous comparison. I look like a cross between Austin bloody Powers and Big Bird. Why are you watching me change?" he asked as he finally managed to take off his frilly lace cravat.

"Sheer voyeurism. Gotta get my kicks somehow." Laura grinned as she held up the glasses Giles was searching the dressing room for. He took them from her, grumbling his thanks.

"You stay here, Secret Agent Man. I'll find something less…Burt Bacharach and more Mick Jagger," she said, shutting the curtain and walking off.

"Wonderful," Giles sighed, slouching onto the bench. "Another nickname."

***

"You're not making me wear that!" Oz yelped as Lisa and Gina cornered him in the back of the store. Lisa was holding a sequined My Little Pony shirt in one hand and had a death grip on Oz's wrist with the other.

"Oh, come on. It's retro and cool," Gina said, enjoying the drama. Oz gave her a death glare.

"If you're a thirteen year old girl," Oz shot back quickly, scrambling for a way out. "Come on, guys, that's not fair! Besides, you said to stay away from glitter!" he yelled at Lisa, who was advancing on him with a twisted grin on her face.

"Oh, this isn't glitter. These are sequins. All the difference in the world," she smirked. Oz looked pleadingly up at her.

"You can't be serious."

"Sure I can. Just not often."

"I-I'd rather go naked than wear that!" he said, pointing to the shirt with fear in his eyes. Henry's head shot up from the financial pages he was perusing and he rushed over to the trio.

"Actually, the au naturel look is _very_ in this year and--"

"Back off, Hank. He's got a girlfriend."

Henry pouted. "Figures. Oh well," he said, taking the shirt away from Lisa and holding it up to Oz's chest (by this time, Oz's face was an interesting study of a combination of fear and slight disgust). "No. Too much pink. Can we just try that little naked idea our boy here had?" he asked, turning to Lisa and Gina and smiling persuasively. The three "girls" raised their eyebrows simultaneously and turned to Oz.

"_No_. That was just a figure of speech. Exaggeration. I like pink. I mean…give me the shirt," Oz stammered, taking the shirt away from Henry and running into the dressing room at full speed.

"Well done, Henry," Lisa said, impressed, as she watched Oz tear into the dressing room.

"A woman's work is never done," he said, pretending to flip his hair as he waltzed back over to the front desk.

Giles' voice suddenly boomed from the other end of the store. "No, I _will not_ wear a backwards baseball cap!" Lisa and Gina burst into giggles.

***

"Just call me Azrael Abyss," Giles muttered as he surveyed himself in the mirror. He liked the black leather pants…but the black shirt and the black coat and the black shoes and the black gloves and the black jewelry were a bit much.

"You look very--"

"Morbid?" Giles supplied.

"Well, I was going for 'mysterious'."

"I look like Spike," he muttered. Laura glanced at him quickly.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. I rather like the pants, but can we…make me…not so very depressing?"

"Sir yes sir. Let's go find something _yellow_ for you to wear."

"Truly you are an evil evil woman."

"I know."

***

Oz stared at himself in the three-way mirror, a look of horror on his face. He hesitantly touched the plaid bell-bottoms Lisa had forced upon him, and then he pulled at the polyester polka-dot shirt Gina had thrown into the dressing room.

"Oh, I think that's cool," Lisa said. "You look very offbeat and quirky. Girls love that."

"I look like a carnival puked on me," Oz said flatly, examining the platforms on his feet.

"Oh, you know, this month's Vanity Fair has a _huge_ article on Carney fashion. Apparently it's quite the rage in Milan…" she joked. Oz stared at her.

"I look like a strung-out Bozo."

"Nah, your hair's not red enough."

"No way I'm going anywhere like this. Except maybe hell, since this is the _dress code_," he said loudly, holding the shirt out, unwilling to let it touch his skin.

"All right, enough dramatics from you. We'll find something else."

"Thank God."

***

Three hours and several arguments later, Giles and Oz had brand-new outfits. Laura and Henry had insisted Giles show their genius to the others by modeling his new clothes, and the members of the store had burst into applause as Giles had reemerged from the dressing room _sans_ khakis and glasses but _avec_ black leather pants, an emerald v-neck top and modified wingtips.

"_Tres_ _chic, mon ami_," Henry said, brushing invisible lint off Giles' shirt before Giles forcibly removed him from his personal space.

Try as they might, Lisa and Gina could not coax Oz to give them a sneak preview of his outfit. After the My Little Pony and Heroin Chic Bozo incidents, Oz had ordered Lisa and Gina to stay at least two feet away from him at all times (and Henry at least twenty) because he was going to find something by himself. All he would say about his clothes was that they would all be pleasantly surprised and _completely_ overshadowed by his fashion expertise.

At which point the three girls laughed heartily and set out to find their own costumes for the night's show.

***

A ten-minute drive away (five minutes if Laura were behind the wheel), Buffy, Willow and Xander were lounging in the Summers' living room, watching cartoons.

"How d'you suppose all those ACME products got to the middle of the desert so fast?" Buffy wondered aloud as she sprawled on the couch. 

"Not only that, how d'you suppose a coyote got the funds to buy a…snowmaking machine?" Willow asked after a moment's speculation.

"Guys. It's a cartoon," Xander said. "It doesn't necessarily obey all the rules of reality," he continued sarcastically. Buffy and Willow flinched. "…Besides, the _real_ question is why, if this coyote possesses enough brains and money to keep chasing the roadrunner, does he not give up and go to McDonald's?"

They all sat in contemplation for a moment.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Buffy?" came a voice from the kitchen.

"…How much does an anvil cost?"

***

"Oh dear."

"What?" came a muffled female voice from behind a dressing room curtain. Giles looked up from his seat on the sofa near the rooms.

"Well, it seems we had a few killings last night. Sad how these things happen," Giles said, turning the page of his newspaper to follow the main story. "Three college students at UC Sunnydale--apparently they turned up for your little feature last night and the next time someone saw them, they were dead. How depressing."

"Yeah. Our music killed someone. That'll be great for business," came a decidedly Lisa-esque voice.

"N-no, the police said the deaths appear to be from…extreme exhaustion. They can't find any marks on the bodies. How strange."

"That is strange," Gina said as she walked out of the dressing room. "Three college guys just keel over? Sounds fishy to me."

"Gina, come and zip up this dress," Laura said suddenly. Gina frowned and walked over to Laura's dressing room.

"Randall Dettweiler, Scott Fargus, and Christopher Robin, all sophomores at UC-Sunnydale…" Giles read again, trying to make sense of the new turn of events. _Perhaps I should alert Buffy…_

"Probably because of the Hellmouth," Gina said flippantly. "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K." Oz and Giles both froze and stared at her. "What?" she asked, a little testily.

"You know about the Hellmouth?" Oz asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Well, yeah. Duh."

"_Gina!_" Lisa hissed, scowling at the girl.

"What? Obviously _they_ know about it, so why are you yelling at me?" Gina scowled at the entire room.

Laura walked out of the dressing room and shrugged. "So we all know about Sunnydale's not-so-little dark secret. Bonus, now we don't have to pretend to be normal."

Everyone glanced at Henry, who was busily restocking the shoes Giles and Oz had strewn all over the store. He wasn't paying attention; they all breathed an inward sigh of relief.

"How do you guys know about it, then?" Oz asked. The three girls glanced at each other. "We're…not exactly normal," Gina began tentatively.

"To borrow a phrase, 'duh'," Giles said. "Y-you aren't…demons, are you?"

The three girls burst into laughter. "Do we look like demons?" Laura asked. "We're…witches. That's all."

Oz looked relieved. "Oh. Hey, Willow's a witch too; maybe you guys could get together, do magical things. Spells and stuff."

"Oh. Well, we're really busy. But otherwise…" Gina said.

"It was just an idea."

"It was a _good_ idea," Lisa said to the dejected Oz.

"…Yeah."

"Right, back on the ranch," Laura said suddenly. "These three dead guys. Think maybe something big and bad got a hold of them?"

"No, fortunately, that something's left town," Giles mumbled. "It could be another sort of demon, though. I'll have to tell Buffy about these deaths--"

"Buffy? The blonde chick? What's she gonna do, run around in circles screaming?" Lisa snorted.

"She's the Slayer." 

All three girls looked dumbfounded.

"…Well all right, maybe she won't run around in circles screaming."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the demon's job," Oz said, grinning a little at the shock on the three girls' faces.

"I've got an idea," Laura said. "We booked you two an appointment at the salon down the street in about twenty minutes. You two finish up here, go down there, tell Jacques we sent you, and we'll go tell Buffy about the three guys. No inconvenience that way."

Giles looked skeptical. "She might not believe you."

"Well, tell us something that'll make her believe us!"

Giles ran a hand through his hair, concentrating. "You're sure you want to get involved?" he asked the girls.

"Hell yeah! This is the most excitement we've seen in a week!" Lisa said.

"All right. Here, give Buffy this," he said, and handed Laura a ring from his index finger (_"How very Three Musketeers," _Lisa whispered to Gina), "and tell her about the deaths. Tell Willow and Xander to start researching, tell them to look for anything that can kill without leaving any visible marks."

"Can do, Sarge," Laura said and saluted. 

"Be back in a bit," Lisa said, throwing a credit card at Henry and skipping out of the store. Gina brought up the rear, jumping around excitedly while shouting "Field trip! Field trip!"

Oz walked up and stood beside Giles. "…Think they're really witches?" he asked the older man.

"They're…something, all right," he said dazedly, cleaning his glasses on his shirt. "We'd better get to the salon."

"Yeah, I'm sure Jacques gets testy if you're late for an appointment."

***

"Shit, Gina, I _told_ you to go easy on him!" a voice echoed slightly, bouncing off the dormant houses in one of Sunnydale's residential districts. "And now look what you've done."

"Well, he wasn't the _only _one dead, Lisa. Pot calling kettle black."

"Both of you shut up. We can handle this. Just need to stash Blondie and her groupies somewhere convenient and out-of-the-way. Can't have a Slayer around to mess things up," Laura said calmly as she avoided the cracks in the sidewalk leading up to the Summers' home. She twisted Giles' ring around her finger, watching as it caught the sunlight of the waning afternoon. She rang the doorbell.

An older woman answered the door. "Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hi," Laura said, putting on her brightest responsible-studious-you-can-trust-me smile. "Is Buffy home?"

"Yes, she is…may I tell her who's here?"

__

Ooh, very smooth. Not inviting us in and finding identification--the woman's a pro. "Oh, sorry. This is Lisa, and Gina, and I'm Laura. We're acquaintances of Buffy's. Mister Giles sent us," she said, lowering her voice a bit. "There's a bit of trouble he wants her to be aware of."

Mrs. Summers nodded. "Oh. Well, I'll go get her then. Come inside, girls." She motioned for the three to sit on the sofa as she went downstairs.

A few minutes later, Buffy, Willow and Xander appeared in the room.

"Hey, girls. Miss me?" Xander asked, squeezing between Lisa and Gina on the sofa.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Oh, you have no idea," she grumbled, shifting uneasily as Xander wrapped an arm around her and Gina's shoulders.

"What do you want?" Buffy asked testily. "We were in the middle of something important."

Willow gave Buffy a Look. "Since when is 'seeing if the coyote will _finally _get the roadrunner' important?"

"Since always," Buffy snapped, folding her arms as she glared at the three girls. Laura regarded her coolly.

"Thanks for the warm reception there, Princess. So sorry to disturb your television habits, but Giles has something he wants you to work on."

"So Giles sent you."

"Yes."

"He didn't come himself."

"He was detained."

"Right. What did you do to him?"

Laura smirked a little. "I'm afraid you're too young for the details." She grinned as she saw Buffy's poker face turn into a scowl. "Ooh, don't like that insinuation much, do ya? Don't want Laura as a 'Mummy' figure for your twisted little fantasy family?" she debated bringing up the ring on her hand, but decided Buffy would probably have a coronary.

Buffy took a step toward the redhead, but Laura held up her hand and Buffy halted.

"I'm afraid I don't have time for any adolescent power plays. Giles sent me, deal with it, he wants you to check out a few deaths."

"What sort of deaths?" Willow piped up. Gina turned to the girl.

"He wants you and Xander to research for things that can kill without leaving any visible marks," she said.

"But that's impossible!"

"Actually, no," Lisa said. "We know of a few who can manage that."

"You do? Well, tell us about them! What are they? Where are they?" Xander asked.

"Oh…all around you…" Gina said in a sing-song voice. Xander gave her a strange look.

"What?"

"Sorry about this, Xander. I'm afraid you're going to miss the show…" Lisa said.

"Huh? Why would I m--"

And suddenly everything was darkness.


	5. Chapter Four

Buffy and Willow stood stunned for a moment, staring at Xander's still form crumpled on the carpet. Lisa looked up at them, mirth and red sparks flashing in her eyes. "Well, would you look at that…" she said flippantly.

"You managed that rather well. Kudos," Laura said from beside Buffy. Willow squeaked in disbelief. Buffy stayed silent.

"You killed him!" Willow gasped.

"Actually, no. He's much more useful alive. This is just more convenient for us, since he can't squirm around," Gina said. 

"…Or talk," Lisa added.

Willow looked up at the three girls surrounding them. "What did you do that for?" she asked petulantly.

"Oh, fun, mostly," Gina said.

"You killed those three people, didn't you," Buffy said quietly, surveying the situation.

"Lookee here girls, we have a winner," Laura said calmly. "Didn't really mean to, but you know, these things happen."

"What are you?" Buffy asked.

"Can't tell you that. It'd take all the fun out of everything," Gina said in the same sing-song voice.

"You can't just kill people!" Willow said. "It's wrong!"

"Well, _duh_," Laura said. "Congratulations, girlie, you just won the Cliche Statement of the Year Award."

Gina waltzed over to Willow, who stood paralyzed with fear. "And for your prize…" she whispered in her ear, as she dealt the girl a sound thump on the head. Willow crumpled into a heap on the floor. Buffy stared at her friend.

"Tie them both up. We don't want them getting away," Laura snickered. Buffy turned to face the redhead. She suddenly lunged forward at Laura, who was just as suddenly no longer there. Buffy turned around and saw the girl grinning at her.

"Nice. Unfortunately, sneaky moves only work on those that _aren't _just as sneaky." Laura suddenly grabbed Buffy's shoulder and in a quick series of movements, slammed her to the ground.

"Is everything all right? I heard a thump…" Mrs. Summers suddenly appeared in the doorway, her voice trailing off as she saw two bodies lying on her sitting room floor and her daughter pinned to the ground. Lisa turned to face the woman and smiled.

"Oh, everything's fine, Mrs. Summers," she said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Isn't it?"

"Yes…fine…" the woman replied dazedly.

"Yes, absolutely fine. Aren't you glad Buffy has friends like us to tell her when she's in danger?"

"Yes…glad…"

"Now, weren't you about to go into town for some new…" Lisa snapped her fingers in an attempt to think of something to fill the gap.

"Dishwashing detergent?" Gina supplied helpfully.

"…Dishwashing detergent?" Lisa finished.

"Detergent…" Mrs. Summers said. She suddenly snapped out of her trance and smiled at Buffy, who was staring at her incredulously from the floor. "I'm so glad you've got such nice friends, honey. Now, I'm going to be gone for a while, I've got to go into town to get some dishwashing detergent. Are you going to be okay?"

"Mom! Hel_-lo_, Jedi mind tricks!" Buffy said, exasperated. She clenched her teeth as Laura dug a knee a little deeper into her back.

"Oh, you'll be fine. I'm sure Laura and Lisa and Gina will take good care of you," Mrs. Summers said as she rummaged through the hall closet for a jacket. "Now, you girls have fun!"

"We will, Mrs. Summers! Thanks," Laura smiled, pulling Buffy's left arm a little higher behind her back. Buffy groaned a little.

"…Oh! I almost forgot; there are some oatmeal cookies in the kitchen, you girls take some before you go," Mrs. Summers said as she walked out of the door.

"You have such a…" Laura began, pinning Buffy's arms behind her, "nice…" she slammed Buffy's head into the floor a few times, "mom," she finished, slamming her head down once more for effect. Laura checked to make sure the Slayer was still breathing. "Good. Tie her up too." 

"Hey! You could help, you know!" Lisa shouted as Laura ventured into the kitchen. She came out a few seconds later. "Ooh. Good cookies," she said, her mouth full. "We really must remember to send Mrs. Summers a thank-you card."

***

"Now, joo are playing wiz ze Cecelia Song tonight, yes?"

"Um,yes, and I was wondering if--"

"Oh, joo just let Jacques work. You will _love_ zis!"

"Well, actually, if I could suggest--"

"_Sst--Nani, get ze platinum number quince--_"

"Excuse me? No no, I don't think platinum is the way to go--"

"Now joo just sit back and relax, Monsieur Giles…"

***

"That silly little witch broke one of my nails," Gina muttered, examining her manicure as the three girls walked down the street. Lisa snickered, and then raised an eyebrow as she saw Laura unwrap another lollipop and begin chomping on it.

"Aren't most things you put in your mouth lit at one end?" she asked. Laura glanced at her and took the candy out of her mouth.

"Trying to quit," she stated simply and put the lollipop back in.

"Ah. Have anything to do with a health-conscious Englishman?"

"Absolutely not, how ludicrous."

"You know you'll have to leave him."

"Yeah, shut up."

"Oh, don't tease her, Lisa," Gina spoke up. "It's not her fault she's head-over-heels in love with an old crusty tweedy UK man."

"You shut up too."

Gina grinned. 

"We should have taken our car," Lisa said. The other girls nodded in agreement.

"But we got to beat up some little kids, that was fun, right?" Laura asked. The other two nodded emphatically. "And we got to put them in the requisite drippy cavernous abandoned warehouse, so I'd say we're doing all right."

"I don't know, I felt extraordinarily dirty and cliché about that. We should've left them in, like, a preschool. No one's done that before, I'll wager," Lisa mused. "Tortured them with A Little Mermaid and dancing teapots. Yes."

"We're not _that _evil," Gina laughed.

"We're marginally bad, but we make up for it by being incredibly indifferent," Lisa said.

"Hear, hear," said Laura.

***

She could feel something on her head. Hitting right at the back; a tiny impact, traveling down to her neck and then coldly across her skin, absorbing into her cotton shirt. 

Willow's eyes suddenly snapped open, darting from one end of the room to the other. She screamed.

Groans from either side of her told her she wasn't alone. She craned her head slightly and saw Buffy and Xander on either side of her, in the same position: arms and ankles bound firmly to steel support beams.

"Hey! Hey, you guys okay?" she asked, relieved that she wasn't all by herself. Neither of her two friends answered. "Guys?" Willow sighed after another moment's silence. "You want something done, you got to do it yourself," she grumbled. "_Liberate_," she said, touching her fingers to the ropes, which completely failed to disappear. "What?" she wondered aloud. The sound of her small word echoed through the room. "_Liberate!_" Again, nothing. _"Liberate_, dammit! Let my fingers _go_!" she yelled, struggling against the ropes. To the left of her, Buffy stirred and once again fell silent. Willow's eyes grew wide with a sudden realization. 

"Oh my God_. Oz…_"

***

"Oh my God! Oz!" Gina shrieked, skipping up to the grinning young man. "Your hair looks _amazing_!" she said, patting his newly-coiffed and –dyed hair in surprise. The other two girls walked toward the two men sitting on the bench outside Jacques' salon. 

Oz's hair was no longer red. It was, instead, on almost the other end of the color spectrum as a deep Prussian blue. Lisa stared at his new 'do in amazement.

"How is that possible?"

"Ask Jacques. Lots of bottles of strange-smelling stuff," Oz grinned, letting Lisa run a tentative hand through his hair. "You like?" he asked.

"Most definitely. You look very cool and quirky and fun," she said, nodding authoritatively.

Laura was busy gaping at Giles, who had stood when he saw the girls approaching.

"Hey, way to be subtle, there, kid," Gina whispered to her.

Giles didn't have blue hair. His hair was, however, a slight bit shorter and a slight bit blonder and had more than a slight bit more gel in it. And he was decidedly without glasses. And he had an earring. _And…whoa_. Laura gaped some more as Giles walked toward her, grinning, evidently pleased with her reaction.

"You didn't always have an earring, did you?" Laura managed to ask after a few minutes. 

"No, not always. The Council doesn't look too highly on…unconventional jewelry," Giles said flippantly, remembering only after he had finished his thought just who he was speaking to. He winced and looked at Laura, who didn't seem fazed.

"You're the Watcher?"

"Yes."

"Should've guessed. Explains the library gig. And I find it incredibly ironic that a group of guys whose job is to stop demons is concerned with a dress code."

'You know, I had that exact thought," Giles smiled at her. "Do you approve of Jacques' handiwork, then?" he asked the group.

"Oh yes. He didn't frighten you too badly, did he?"

"Well, there was a scare involving platinum hair dye," to the side Gina pouted over a few harsh memories involving a certain platinum-haired man, "but in the end it turned out all right. Did you manage to find Buffy?"

"Yeah. She wasn't too keen on the idea of us being your messengers. Territorial, that one," Lisa grumbled, "but she said she'd look into the deaths. I don't think she wanted to come to the show very much anyway."

"Her loss," Gina said, playing with Oz's hair.

"I'd love to see her expression when she found out her Watcher was a dead sexy guitar-playing type," Laura grinned. Giles smiled, embarrassed, as he rubbed the back of his neck. They both took a moment to grin at each other in a very sickening manner. There was the sudden unmistakable sound of three pairs of eyes being simultaneously rolled.

"Yikes, look at the time," Gina said, holding out Oz's wristwatch. "Hate to break up the little nausea-inducing moment, but we should get to the club and set up." The others glanced at her in gratitude. Laura and Giles frowned for a moment, and then trailed after the others to the convertible.

***

There was something new in the air in Sunnydale. Angel couldn't quite figure out what it was; the vampires and assorted collection of perma-demons had been buzzing about a new force in town. Angel sighed. It seemed that these new forces came extremely often. Usually on a weekly basis. Not so much during the summer…but that was only because something _extremely _evil always seemed to happen during the third week of May.

Whoever coined the phrase "merry month of May" was an idiot, Angel decided.

But…May meant Buffy wore less clothes. So maybe not.

But…May meant lots of angsty sexual tension because of Scantily-Clad Buffy. So…

Angel _hated_ May.

Good thing it was just April.

He walked through downtown Sunnydale, feeling a little uncomfortable since there were still streaks of pink sunlight on the horizon, but feeling, nonetheless, remarkably well. Something interesting was just _bound _to happen tonight.

The Bronze had a show. Buffy hadn't shown up for Patrol yet, so maybe he could stop by…

***

"Whichever one tied us up was a Boy Scout," Xander said firmly. "Although I think very much that they lied during the recitation of the 'On My Honor' part," he mused as he examined the complicated knot above his head. "Can't see them getting cats out of trees," he grumbled, struggling against the ropes, "or helping old ladies across the street."

"Unless the old lady has a Watcher named Giles," Buffy muttered. "Then they'd help her into the street just as a Mack truck was turning the corner."

"Yeah, that's—"

"I mean, '_mother figure'_? What the hell?" she griped. "And I don't have a twisted fantasy family thing! Hello, Giles is my _Watcher!_"

"Yeah. If we could just move past the psychological issues and concentrate on the being-tied-up issues, I'd be one happy guy," Xander said sardonically as Buffy struggled against the ropes. 

"Workin' on 'em," Buffy grumbled as she tried to gain freedom. Beside Xander, Willow was attempting to loosen the bonds by magic. 

"Um…_emancipate_? _Liberate_? Shoot," Willow said as the ropes remained unaffected. "Hey, you guys don't know any Latin-sounding synonyms for 'let go', do you?"

"Syno-what?" Xander asked as he stared up at the configuration of ropes. Buffy let out a cry of frustration as she grappled with the ropes.

"_God!_ I swear I'll _kill_ those girls!"

"While attached to a metal pole? This I gotta see," Xander said.

"Could you maybe _stop_ being sarcastic for a minute?" Buffy griped as she tried to claw the ropes apart. Both Willow and Xander turned to look at her, astonishment written on their faces in very vivid colors. For a minute, all was still as the three regarded each other.

"Xander? …N-not be sarcastic?" Willow's tremulous voice echoed around the room.

"What are you trying to do, Buff? Destroy her entire world?" Xander whispered angrily, his eyebrows furrowed in a frown. 

There was another moment's pause as the three teenagers stared incredulously at each other.

Buffy groaned and returned to struggling with the rope. "Forget it. You guys are insane."

"_We're _insane? You're the one who said I should stop being sarcastic," Xander spat. Willow glanced fearfully at both Buffy and Xander.

"But Xander _has_ to be sarcastic. It's who he is. Sarcastic Man!" she said earnestly. "The world just wouldn't make sense if Xander weren't sarcastic!"

"Fine. Xander, make all the stupid comments you want. And Willow, when I get us free, I'm seriously taking you for some heavy-duty therapy." Buffy said flatly as she tried to wrench her hand from its binds.

"Good," Willow smiled, perfectly content. 

"Stupid comments. My comments are never stupid! They're witty and clever!" Xander announced angrily. "Besides, you're just mad some other girls kicked your Slayer behind!"

"They didn't kick my behind! There was no behind-kicking!" Buffy barked defensively.

"Well, I saw _someone's _behind getting kicked, and it certainly wasn't mine!"

"That's because you were unconscious!"

Willow began to giggle. Both Xander and Buffy glared at her as they shouted in unison "_What?_"

"You sound like seven-year-olds."

Buffy and Xander glared at Willow, and then at each other. After a few moments of glaring, the trio went back to trying to undo the ropes in their own unique ways.

Ten very unsuccessful minutes later, Xander began to chuckle.

"What could be funny about this situation?" Buffy wondered sardonically.

"I got tied up by three really hot rocker chicks, and I can't tell anyone because there's a chance they might be evil demons."

"Ooh, that _is _funny," Willow agreed. "Kinda like an O. Henry story."

"Yeah, isn't it? And I think it's even better that they tied me up with real leather instead of rope. Heightens the irony."

"You got leather? We didn't get leather!" Willow complained.

"Well, I guess they just don't find you as stunningly attractive as they do me," Xander said smugly.

"So you're proud of the fact that some girls found you sexy enough to tie up with leather bands and…oh. _Ohhhh_. Dang!"

Xander smirked as Willow looked crestfallen.

"_Guys_," Buffy said exasperatedly, "could we please concentrate on the task at hand?"

"Because we've made so much progress so far," Xander remarked. Buffy glared at him.

"Shut. Up. Xander," Buffy said levelly, finally losing her temper completely.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Xander stared at her incredulously for a moment, and then began to scowl. "You know, I'm sick and tired of being your second banana to kick around, Buffy. 'Ooh, something's gone wrong, let's yell at Xander.' That's not how it works! You know, I'd rather face Cecelia Song than be tied up with _you_!"

A light suddenly illuminated Xander and the room was filled with an unearthly music. It quickly vanished, along with the bonds on Xander's wrists. He brought his arms down and stared at his hands for a moment. Buffy and Willow stared at him in amazement.

"Damn. Why, when wishes come true, does the wisher always wish for something that's not fun?"

"Quick, untie us, Xander!" Buffy said in her best Slayer do-what-I-say-or-die voice. Xander glanced up at her, his eyes glittering strangely, and slowly broke into a grin.

"Can't kick me around now, can ya?"

Willow stared at Xander fearfully. "Xander? Xander, are you all right?"

"Perfectly fine, Will. Perfectly fine. You know, I had a thought a minute ago. I wonder why I hadn't thought of it before, actually. You see, I'm not your sidekick, _Slayer_," he said, glaring at Buffy with a malevolence she had never seen, "so you can just figure this one out by yourself," he smiled as he slowly walked away from his two best friends. Buffy and Willow stared speechlessly at his retreating figure and winced as the door to the factory slammed behind him.


	6. Chapter Five

Giles nervously tuned his guitar as Oz and the girls fiddled around with amps and their own instruments. He ran through the lyrics to the songs they were going to play, and hoped to every sort of god that he would be able to remember them all. He had to admit that rehearsal had gone rather well; at least, he and Oz hadn't made total idiots of themselves.

"Hey. You're not going to faint on us, are you?" came Laura's startlingly close voice. Giles turned around and gave her a weak half-smile.

"Not as such, no. I was thinking more along the lines of…projectile vomiting," Giles muttered, his hands compulsively going through the chords on the guitar. He and Laura both watched the involuntary action of his fingers flying over the fretboard for a moment before Laura pulled a stool over beside him and sat down.

"You'll be fabulous. And besides, I said I'd take care of you, remember? Stop worrying," she said.

"Yes. Yes, you're right. I certainly won't worry any more," Giles said completely unconvincingly. Laura laughed and pulled his hand away from the fretboard. 

"Hey. You're cool. You're a kickass Watcher and all the girls in the audience are going to have mad crushes on you. Probably some of the boys, too," she grinned as she stood up. Giles smiled.

"Shouldn't you girls go and change? It's almost time for the show," he said. Laura glanced at her watch and nodded. "I want to see this surprise costume of yours," he said, smiling at her.

"Bet so. You'll love it, G. You'll absolutely die," she smirked as she went and collected Gina and Lisa (who were both having far too much fun flirting with Oz).

***

Buffy and Willow evaluated their present situation silently. Around them, the room was completely quiet, except for the requisite drip-dripping of some unknown leak in the building. Buffy's mind inadvertently began to wander and she began to try to count how many times she had been in warehouses like this.

Tears coursed down Willow's face as she thought about all the horrendous possibilities of how those girls could torture Oz. 

"Of all the times Xander could develop a spine…it's like Pinocchio suddenly turning into a real boy when he's two feet from a lion pride in the Serengeti," Buffy remarked sardonically. Willow gulped. 

"What do you think made him act like that?"

"I don't know. An acute attack of Xanderness?"

Willow frowned slightly, her mind puzzling over the options. "Well, there was that light and music when his ropes disappeared. Maybe it had something to do with that?"

"So a heavenly light and choir of angels led Xander to abandon us in a warehouse? Atheism, here I come," Buffy groused.

Willow's bottom lip trembled. "How are we going to get out of here, Buffy?"

"Well, I think we can safely rule out asking the girls nicely if they'll let us go. Hopefully Angel will realize something's up when I don't show up for Patrol."

"…Buffy?"

"What?"

"You don't think they'll hurt Oz, do you?"

***

"Oz! I swear I'm gonna _kill_ you!" Lisa shrieked at the top of her lungs. A few heads poked around the curtains backstage and Lisa scowled. "He's holed himself up in the dressing room for twenty minutes now and I still need to change!" she explained to the concerned faces.

A muffled voice came from inside the room. "You can't rush perfection, hon."

Lisa growled and began to pound on the door. "Watch me try!" she shouted. Laura, Gina and Giles came over to the dressing room entrance to watch the show. "Hurry _up!_"

Mid-bang, the door suddenly swung open and Lisa fell inside the dressing room. The others snorted behind their hands as Lisa struggled onto her elbows and glared up at Oz, who was giving her a quizzical look.

"All yours, Your Grace," he said. Lisa righted herself and glared at him a bit more, then glanced at his outfit.

"Oh my holy…_what_ are you wearing?"

Behind them, Gina, Laura and Giles gaped at Oz, who was wearing a plain button-up white shirt, his favorite worn-out shoes, and a kilt.

"What? I think it's cool," Oz said. "And look," he said, beginning to unbutton his shirt, at which point Giles hastily turned away, "I even incorporated sequins." Laura and Gina both began to giggle and applaud as Oz proudly displayed the pink My Little Pony shirt he had made such a fuss over at the store. Lisa rolled her eyes and closed the door to the dressing room. 

"Well, I think it's sexy. Takes a real man to wear a skirt," Gina smirked a few moments after. Giles glanced at her sharply. Oz grinned.

"Better go find an old dress, Giles, and prove you're a man," he said.

"No, thank you. The extent of my masculinity is such that it would take a ballgown to fully prove it," Giles said coolly. Laura began to snicker as both Gina and Oz looked at the Watcher with blank faces.

"I'm pretty sure he just insulted me."

"Yeah."

"I can't figure out how, though."

"Me neither."

At this convenient moment, Lisa opened the door to the dressing room and stepped out. Oz whistled appreciatively at her costume, which consisted of a pair of leather pants (Giles felt a bit outshined), a plain white tank top, sandals, and an intricate arm-band. Laura and Gina nodded their approval.

"You look very nice," Giles said after a moment. Lisa thanked him casually; she was used to the compliment.

"Your turn, Gina," Laura said, shoving her into the dressing room. "And hurry, I still have to get dressed too."

"Why do you always get to go last? It's not fair! I want to make an entrance _too_--" Gina began, but the sudden slam of the dressing room door cut her off. Laura smiled brightly at the other members of the band.

"Shall we go over the words to the first number?"

***

"Need some ID, man," the pimply-faced club employee said sourly. Angel gave him an annoyed glance and produced a driver's license (fake, of course). The young man made a show of examining the card for authenticity before handing it back to its owner.

"Do I meet your standards, then?" Angel asked sarcastically as he yanked his ID out of the boy's grubby hand.

"No, but you meet the club's," the young boy said coolly. Angel's eyes narrowed into slits as he grabbed the boy's collar.

"You shouldn't insult strangers, child. You need lessons in etiquette. Fortunately for you, I don't have time to give you any," Angel growled, and released the boy as he stepped inside the club. 

He walked over to his usual table, ignoring the nods of acknowledgement from club regulars and slouching into his seat, massaging his forehead as if by doing so he could lessen the pain inside. He felt a waitress waltz up behind him and before she could say anything, he said "I'd like a Bloody Mary."

"Oh, bet you would, _Angelus_," a frighteningly familiar British voice sounded behind him. Angel's eyes snapped open and he whirled around in time to see a platinum head vanish out the doors of the club. Angel stood suddenly and walked briskly toward the entrance and outside.

He stood in the cool night air, his eyes darting back and forth in an attempt to locate the same figure. He walked around the front of the club and found nothing, then ventured to the alleys on either side. He could hear, inside the club, the cheers and applause as the owner came onstage to introduce the night's act.

***

"_Christ_, Laura, _hurry!_ They're introducing us _right now!_" Lisa hissed to the dressing room door.

"Oh, stop worrying. I'm almost ready."

"Why do you always do this? Why can't we ever just be safe and sure of anything and not have to wait until the last second to pull something off?"

"Because that would be _boring_, dearie," Laura's muffled voice came from inside the dressing room. Lisa sighed in exasperation as Giles came hurrying over to the dressing room door.

"Er, Laura, dear, the introduction's almost through and the crowd does sound a bit wild," he said nervously.

"Sooner or later, your luck's going to run out!" Lisa cried angrily at the door, just as it swung open and Laura stepped out.

"Don't be silly. See? Right on time," Laura said, striking a pose. Giles's eyes widened as he realized what her surprise was--Laura was wearing a tweed skirt and jacket, complete with conservative white shirt, sensible black shoes, and a pair of glasses exactly like the ones Giles wore. She snickered and pulled her glasses off and bit the end of one stem. "You like?"

Giles began to laugh. "Very impressive. Now let's go." Laura grinned and curtsied and they both rushed to the stage. Lisa stared at them, dumbfounded, and began to trot after them.

"Why won't anyone listen to _me_ when I say that?"

***

Angel walked down an alley, his eyes roaming from one side of the darkened street to the other as he attempted to find…whatever it was he was looking for. He sighed, and, for a moment, stopped his search. It was then that he heard the familiar sound of an old engine revving. His eyes widened, and he took off suddenly toward the main street, following his ears.

As soon as he reached the street, he saw it. He saw the familiar old car, with its darkened windows and imposing angles of chrome and steel. Angel snarled as he rushed over to the driver-side window and began to pound on it.

"Spike! Spike, you better damn well roll down this window or I'll--"

"You'll what? Yell a whole lot more at my car? _Oooooh_, shiver," a voice drawled from the driver's seat through the inch-gap crack in the window.

"What are you doing in Sunnydale? Have you done anything to Buffy?" Angel demanded.

"Yeah, right, like I'd tell _you_, Soul-Man," Spike snorted. "You insult my intelligence."

Angel growled and shoved a hand through the plate-glass window, grabbing Spike's collar.

"Hey! That isn't easy to replace, you know!" Spike complained as he glanced at the splintered glass all around him.

"Neither is a decapitated head," Angel snarled, throttling Spike slightly.

"All right, all right. Don't get your knickers in a twist. I've only been here for a day. Came to get some...things...from the crypt. And that's _all_. Haven't even seen your precious little blondie," Spike said boredly. A smile began to play on his lips. "How's she doing, by the way? Still keeping you frustrated? Especially in that little blue number she used to wear? Tell her I asked after her health. And was fearfully disappointed to hear she still _had_ some," Spike said, glancing down at the car's speedometer.

Angel glared at the blonde man for a moment. "Never come back here," he spat. Spike rolled his eyes and shrugged out of Angel's grasp.

"Didn't plan on building a summer home here anyway. Nice catching up, Angelus, but I've got places to be," he said as he threw the car into gear and sped away. Angel watched the back bumper of the car grow smaller and smaller until it finally vanished onto a side street. He exhaled loudly and headed for the club. Perhaps Buffy had something better to do than meet with him for patrol…

Angel shot a death-glare at the doorman, who quickly jumped out of his way as he strolled back inside the club. He walked inside the room, maneuvering through clusters of people and keeping one eye on the stage. The concert had been underway for several minutes, he surmised from the excitement of the crowd. He watched with some interest as the stage remained pitch black. A spotlight suddenly focused on a girl standing behind a drum set. He finally made his way to his own table and sat down, surveying the blonde girl onstage carefully.

She seemed strangely familiar…he stared at her short leather skirt and thigh-high boots, hoping to find something conclusive in them. He wondered at her red corset bound white peasant blouse top, trying to conceive where (or when) he remembered this girl from.

Angel jumped slightly in his seat as the girl began to play her drums. He watched with interest as the girl kept a steady rhythm, the spotlight focused on her while the rest of stage was shrouded in darkness.

And then, suddenly, all was light.

Angel winced at the sudden brightness of the stage. He began to smile as he recognized the song the guitars were beginning to play, a fairly new song he had heard a few years before on the radio, a song that had, oddly, always reminded him of Drusilla and Spike. He closed his eyes as the voice of a girl began to keen above the thudding strum of the guitars.

__

I would die for you

I would die for you

I've been dying jut to feel you by my side…

To know that you're mine…

I would cry for you

I would cry for you

I would wash away your pain with all my tears…

And drown your fear…

Angel felt the movement of the crowd gathering around the stage, felt the strength of the spell being weaved by the music. He could feel the rhythm beating through him, feel his heart change tempo slightly to keep time with the music. He could feel the guitars, almost as if their players were plucking his nerve-endings, sensation flooding into every pore of his skin.

__

I will pray for you

I will pray for you

I will sell my soul for something pure and true…

Someone like you…

See your face every place that I'm walkin'

Hear your voice every time I'm talkin'

You will believe in me

And I will never be ignored.

I would die for you

Feel pain for you

I would twist the knife and bleed my achin' heart

And tear it apart…

Angel was suddenly reminded of Buffy. His heart wrenched inside him, wondering where she was, if she was having more fun than she would if she were with him.

__

I will lie for you

Beg and steal for you

I will crawl on hands and knees until you see

You're just like me…

Violate all the love that I'm missing

Throw away all the pain that I'm living

You will believe in me

And I can never be ignored.

I will die for you…

I will kill for you…

I will steal for you…

I'd do time for you…

I will wait for you…

And make room for you…

I'd sail ships for you…

To be close to you…

To be part of you…

Cause I believe in you…

I believe in you…

I would die for you…

Angel opened his eyes slowly as the haunting voice died away, as the guitar chords echoed in the atmosphere, as the crowd began to awaken from its spell. He stared at the members of the band onstage, he stared at the drummer girl, who now had her face raised to the sky, her eyes seeing something far, far away from the crowd. He stared at the vocalist, a red-haired girl who clung to the microphone for support, as if the notes had forcefully torn themselves from her vocal cords and left her powerless. He glanced at the two male guitar players and almost fell over when he realized he recognized them as Giles and Oz. He smiled slightly since both of the men had dazed expressions on their faces, as if they were a part of something they couldn't quite comprehend. And he stared at the female guitar player, a girl who had shrunk into the shadows almost until she couldn't be seen. He stared at her, until he was shocked to realize she was staring at him too. He and the girl stared at each other for a moment, unable to wrench their eyes away. Angel was intensely, almost painfully aware that he recognized the girl from somewhere…

…But where?

Realization dawned.

"Oh my God."

***

Lisa had to remind herself to breathe. He couldn't be sitting in the audience, her _Angelus_ could _not_ be sitting in the audience, casually sipping a Bloody Mary as he enjoyed the music.

She saw him stare at her. She saw the sudden shock of realization when it hit him. And she saw his countenance change from one of sublime happiness to a combination of fear and hatred. Lisa began to edge over to Gina at her drumset.

"Gina!" she hissed. Gina glanced at her and frowned, a little preoccupied with keeping a steady rhythm to the next song ("Basketcase", by Green Day).

"What do you want?" she managed to hiss back between beats.

"Angelus is here," Lisa said, trying to keep her stage smirk and hit her chords and inform Gina about their potential downfall and avoid more eye contact with Angel all at the same time.

"What?"

"I said _sometimes I give myself the creeps_." Lisa frowned as she ended the lyric along with Laura, who was blissfully unaware of her danger on center stage.

"You what?"

"I said Angelus is here!" she managed to get out. Gina's eyes widened in shock and Lisa nodded her head in Angel's direction. Gina glanced around the audience, and when she finally spied him, let out a little shriek of fear.

"What are we gonna do, Lisa?"

"I don't know. We've got to tell Laura."

"Why? Can't we just run out the backstage door?"

"Cut it out. He can't do anything to us while we're onstage."

"Oh. Right. Good thinking."

Lisa and Gina both smiled superficially as the song ended. Laura walked over to the drumset to grab a sip of water before the next song. She grinned at the other girls as Oz began to tell the crowd the longest joke known to man.

"Good show, huh?"

"Angelus is here."

"Yeah, the crowd _is_ really--what?" Laura asked, going still as her mind processed Lisa's strange declaration.

"Angelus is here. In the audience."

"Shit! What's he doing here?"

"I don't know."

"Shit!"

"He knows all about us!" Gina interjected fearfully.

"Double shit!" Laura said bewilderedly. "What are we going to do?"

"Finish the show and get out of town," Lisa said. "He can't do anything to us up here."

"Well, I know, but…shit!"

Giles walked back over to their little conference. "This certainly seems to be going well, doesn't it?" Gina and Lisa avoided the question and his gaze, but Laura put on a smile.

"Yeah. Told you they'd love you, didn't I?" Giles smiled gratefully. Laura grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the other two girls. "Giles, do you feel okay about singing your song now?"

Giles looked at the other two girls confusedly. "But…I thought that was a few songs away…"

"Well, see, Lisa got one of her dizzy spells and isn't feeling well at all. I think we should cut the show a little short," Laura explained. "Please? Can you?"

Giles exhaled slowly and nodded. "Yes. You think this crowd will like it?"

"I do. Thank you for this, Giles."

"It's nothing, dear," he said comfortingly, patting her hand. He walked over to his microphone and waited for Oz to finish his joke. Laura assumed her place beside the drumset.

"Giles is going to do his song, and then we'll do the closing number, and then we'll split," she told Gina and Lisa. 

"Sounds good. Angelus looks murderous," Lisa mused.

"Murderous is a good look for him," Gina said decidedly. Lisa shot her a glare. 

"Um, hello, Angelus is _my_ ex-lover. Don't horn in on my territory. Besides, you have El Bleacho Diablo."

"God, you guys, it's embarrassing how many ex-lovers you've managed to tally," Laura said absentmindedly, twirling her water bottle cap between her fingers.

"Us? What about you?" Lisa countered.

"Yes, let's tally, shall we?" Gina said. Laura began to blush.

"Well, there was Julius Caesar."

"Nero."

"_Whom_ you taught to play the violin, if I remember correctly. Um…Charlemagne."

"Strictly because his name sounded like 'champagne', even though that wasn't invented until centuries later…Aha! Jeff Chaucer!"

"And then there was Will Shakespeare."

"_That_ was just a rumor," Laura interjected. "Will started it. Ugh. He was all…short."

"Okay. Sir Walter Raleigh."

"Elizabeth never forgave you, you know."

"Michelangelo."

"Then there was John Locke."

"That man was _wild_," Laura remembered.

"Benedict Arnold."

"Pancho Villa."

"General Sherman."

"Savannah deserved it. Stupid mob."

"Jack the Ripper."

"Everyone should've recognized the creative elements."

"Mussolini."

"McCarthy."

"Stalin."

"Nixon."

"Elvis."

"That screenwriter."

"Joss," Laura reminded Lisa. "His name is Joss. And that was more a creative element thing than anything romantic. And feel free to shut up."

"All right, all right. We're done. We've got more important things to worry about than teasing you, anyway," Gina said, just as the crowd began to applaud. Oz had finally finished his joke. Lisa went over and quickly explained to him the change in the lineup. Oz nodded, his facial features arranging themselves into a concerned expression, and he walked over to join the girls beside the drumset.

The four band members fell silent as Giles approached his microphone, as did the audience, which had indeed fallen in love with the quiet man. He cleared his throat.

"Erm…hello, all," he said hesitantly into the microphone. The crowd shouted back, cheering and applauding. Giles stood amazed for a moment before he regained his composure. "Yes, well. I'd…like to sing a song, if I could. For a long while it illustrated my opinion of life. And of love. But our opinions are all subject to change, and I think mine are beginning to." He glanced at several members of the crowd; each wore a confused expression. "Anyway…my gift is my song." And he began to sing.

__

I heard there was a secret chord  
That David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?   
Well it goes like this the fourth, the fifth  
The minor fall and the major lift  
The baffled king composing hallelujah  
  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ....   
  
Gina smiled slightly from the darkened drumset, closing her eyes as she allowed Giles's voice to spread over her like a comforting blanket. Beside her, Lisa became very still and stopped fidgeting with the hem of her tank top, listening intently to the lyrics of the song. Laura stared at the floor, biting a thumbnail absentmindedly. From the three came a single thought, _I don't want to leave now, oh please, don't make me go…_

Well your faith was strong but you needed proof  
You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you.  
She tied you to her kitchen chair  
She broke your throne and she cut your hair  
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah

Giles voice crescendoed, soaring above the audience, evoking the intense pain and beauty of the song's lyrics. From Lisa's side, Oz listened to the older man appreciatively and tried to comprehend how exactly Giles managed to hold the audience captive._  
  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah .... .  
  
Baby I've been here before  
I've seen this room and I've walked this floor  
I used to live alone before I knew you.  
I've seen your flag on the marble arch  
But love is not a victory march  
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah  
  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ....   
  
Well there was a time when you let me know  
What's really going on below  
But now you never show that to me do you?  
But remember when I moved in you  
And the holy dove was moving too  
And every breath we drew was hallelujah?_

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah…

The ironic sadness of the refrain caused Giles's voice to waver slightly. Shrouded in darkness, a girl near the drumset wiped away a rebel tear before anyone else noticed.

__

  
Well, maybe there's a god above  
But all I've ever learned from love  
Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you.  
It's not a cry that you hear at night  
It's not somebody who's seen the light  
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah  
  
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ...

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ...

Giles's voice died away slowly, its beautiful melancholy lingering in the air with the last guitar chord. He glanced hesitantly out at the audience, the only sound in the room the audible sniffs and occasional whimpers from members of the crowd. Giles smiled slightly, the silence more of a compliment than anything else the audience could have given him.

Laura, Gina and Oz all jumped slightly as they heard an almost inaudible sniff coming from Lisa. They looked at her curiously and grinned as she glared at them through overbright eyes.

"Oh, shut up and give me a tissue," she said irritably. It was then that the audience began to applaud.

***

No one saw the tall dark-haired man in the front row leave as Giles began his song. The members of the audience had already been caught in his spell.

All except for Angel.

They knew. They knew _he _knew. And he had to stop them.

***

In the alley directly behind the Bronze, a shadowed figure hummed pleasantly as it walked along the rows of neatly-parked cars. It stopped in front of one, and, checking to see if it was under surveillance, began to inspect the car.

The figure opened the passenger door casually and examined the glove compartment opening. One deft flick of the wrist opened the small hatch. And as the figure rummaged through the contents of the compartment, it came upon a hardbound book, forced open to one page. In a man's voice, the figure muttered to itself, "What's this?"

He produced a small flashlight from inside a coat pocket and began to read the opened page. It was very slow going; he had always hated Homer. A moment or two passed, and then a footnote caught his eye. The figure skimmed the lines. He very nearly dropped his flashlight. And then he read the lines more carefully.

"So _that's_ it," he said. He put his flashlight away, and carefully placed the book back in the glove compartment and shut it. He exited the car.

***

(From Hannigan's translation of Homer's The Odyssey)

__

a Siren: One of three sea nymphs, -- or, according to some writers, of two, -- said to frequent an island near the coast of Italy, and to sing with such sweetness that they lured mariners to destruction.


	7. Chapter Six

"Nobody knows the trouble I've seen…"

Buffy awoke from a doze and lifted her head slightly to hear Willow softly singing. She smirked at the choice of song.

"Nobody knows my sorrows…"

"Hey. Wanna pick something a little more cheerful?" she asked quietly. Willow stopped singing and smiled.

"It's a small world after all, it's a small wo--"

"_Gah! No!_"

Willow laughed. Buffy lunged slightly to the left and knocked into her best friend. They both began to giggle, willing themselves to put the scariness of their present situation out of their minds for the time being.

"I'm sure Angel will come for us," Willow said confidently. She looked to Buffy, as if for confirmation, and Buffy nodded authoritatively. 

"Yes, I'm sure he will too," she said. Willow smiled, relieved.

"And maybe he'll bring Oz! Maybe nothing bad has happened, really, and it's all been a misunderstanding."

"A _big_ misunderstanding."

"Yes."

Buffy nodded again and fell silent. "Willow?" she asked after a few moments. "Willow, you awake?"

Willow didn't respond. Buffy craned her neck to see and sighed as she heard her friend emit a small snore after a pause.

"Wonderful."

***

Gina, Lisa, Laura, Oz and Giles all ran backstage after their final number, laughing and jumping and hugging at their success. The last song, a Cecelia Song original entitled "Green-Sweatered Superman," had brought down the proverbial house, and they had rushed backstage immediately after they had finished.

Oz stared out of a small peephole he had made in the stage curtains, looking out at the still-clamoring audience in awe. "We created that," he said simply, looking at the rest of them with wonder on his face.

"Kind of amazing, isn't it?" Gina said, walking over to Oz and handing him a soda. He nodded, and went back to staring.

Laura and Giles were leaning against the table, side by side, enjoying the relative silence. A loud thud stirred them from their reverie, and they saw Lisa struggling to carry one of the largest amps out of the door. Oz rushed over to help her.

"What do you think you're doing? You could hurt yourself!" he said quietly to her. Lisa ignored his concern.

"I just wanted to go ahead and load up the equipment so we could get out of…so we could go home. I still don't feel so well," she said, holding a hand weakly to her stomach. Giles and Oz glanced at each other and nodded, and began taking the equipment off the stage and over to the stage exit.

"D'you guys want some help?" Laura asked, compulsively wiping the condensation off her soda can as soon as it formed. 

"No, you girls go outside and get some fresh air," Giles said authoritatively. He and Laura exchanged glances and he nodded slightly, as if to assure her that things would be all right. The three girls walked outside and over to their car. Gina perched atop the trunk of the car and Lisa leaned on its side. All three girls were silent.

"When are we going to tell them?" Lisa asked quietly.

"How are we going to get out of town?" Gina asked in reply.

"I don't know," Laura said, more to herself than anyone else. "I don't want to leave." She smiled and waved to Oz and Giles, who were beginning to pile the equipment just outside the stage exit. Lisa stood up and stretched, moving away from the car and beginning to pace around the parking lot.

"None of us do, but we have to. And it's got to be soon. There's almost a full tank of gas in the car, we could just drop the guys at home and--"

She was cut off as a tall cloaked figure suddenly appeared from behind a car and covered her mouth with one pale hand. Gina and Laura both stared silently at the spectacle, not moving a muscle. Finally, Gina spoke.

"Hello, Angelus."

***

"That was quite an experience," Giles grunted as he hauled an amp over to the door. Oz looked up from the complicated tangle of wires he was examining and nodded.

"You can most definitely say that again. And again. And again." He rubbed his chin as he tried to figure out which wire led to which outlet.

"Is this what being in a band is like nowadays?" Giles asked suddenly. Oz was a bit taken aback, Giles usually answered questions instead of asking them. He thought about the question for a minute.

"No. Being in a band usually means more fights, more practice, and less fun," he said finally. Giles nodded, as if he had been expecting such an answer. "You did a good job with your song," Oz added. Giles looked up at the young man, surprised.

"I--thank you, Oz. You did well with your joke," he replied. Oz shrugged.

"Willow told it to me." The thought of Willow was painful to Oz. He wasn't sure why. Which made it even more painful.

"Ah. Yes. How's she doing these days?"

"Doing good. She figured out how to levitate chalk and draw on a blackboard." Oz went back to trying to figure out the wires. Giles nodded.

"You know, when I was growing up in London, I used to be in a band," he said suddenly. Oz looked up from the wires and regarded Giles with a newfound respect.

"You were?" he asked interestedly. Giles glanced at him and nodded.

"Oh yes. Three chaps from my street and I. One night we broke into a music store and managed to get away with three guitars and almost an entire drum set. We played in an old factory when we should have been in school. We called ourselves the 'Screeching Beagles'."

Oz stared at Giles. "Were you any good?"

"Oh, not at all. We only knew one song, 'Hey Jude.' And that was just because the bassist wanted to learn it to play for his girlfriend."

"Oh. Her name was Jude?"

Giles furrowed his eyebrows. "No, no. Oddly enough, it was Lorraine."

The two men went back to hauling equipment.

***

"Fancy meeting you here," Laura said to the dark-haired man. He sneered and advanced on her and Gina slowly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked malevolently, still clutching Lisa to him. Gina raised an eyebrow and she could see Lisa do so in return. Lisa was enjoying herself. Gina chuckled internally.

"Playing at the Bronze, silly. What are _you_ doing here?" Laura said lightly. Gina stayed quiet.

"Playing at the Bronze," he answered frostily. Lisa rolled her eyes and bit down on his hand. "Ouch!" he said, dropping his hand and letting her free. Lisa sauntered beside her other two friends, then turned to face Angel.

"You should know better than that, Angelus," she began.

"Angel."

"You might have remembered that I don't respond well to captivity, _Angelus_," she said, walking over to him and examining the bite marks on his palm. She clucked her tongue. "You used to be so fun. Why'd you have to go and get a soul, huh?" Angel glared at her.

"What have you done with Buffy?" he spat. The three girls began to giggle.

"Can't remember," Gina began in a singsong voice. "Can't remember what we did with ickle Buffiekins. Poor Vampy misses his Slayer," she laughed, clapping her hands delightedly and dancing slightly. Angel growled and lunged for her, slamming Gina against the side of the car, her neck in his hands. Gina giggled even harder. "Ooh. _Like_ it rough."

He released his hold on her and she crashed to the ground and immediately righted herself. Gina smiled at him and walked back over to her friends, who were both smiling.

"Poor Angel. All tortured. Stupid soul," Lisa said. "We should have killed those meddling gypsy idiots!"

"If I remember correctly, I think we did," Laura said levelly.

"Ah. Right you are."

"Where's Buffy?" Angel asked again, more urgency in his voice.

"Oh, I don't know. Here, there. All around," Laura grinned.

"She's more a spirit of slaying than an actual human," Gina said, cottoning on.

"'Yes, Virginiangelus, there _is_ a Slayer Claus,'" Lisa finished, snickering. Angel roared, losing his temper, his facial features contorting wildly as he lunged for Lisa. He grabbed her by her shoulders and threw her up against a wall of the Bronze, pinning her there with his arms. "Ooh. Hey baby. Now you can't make me believe the Slayer fully appreciates upper-body strength like this," Lisa smirked. Angel slammed her against the wall again. "Ow! Watch it, psycho, I bruise easily!"

"Where. Is. _Buffy?_" he asked again, shaking Lisa slightly with each word. Lisa rolled her eyes.

"Hmm. Banging me up against this wall seems to have given me amnesia. Tell me, who is this Buffy?" Lisa asked sarcastically. Angel roared in anger, raising his hand to strike Lisa. It was then that he heard two male voices coming from not very far away.

"Angel! Angel, what in God's name are you doing?" Giles cried, dropping the amp he was carrying and rushing over to the confrontation. Oz looked down at the smashed amp and cried out in disbelief. He then looked up and dropped his own amp and rushed over to help.

Angel cursed as he saw the two men run over to him. Laura and Gina promptly responded to the rescue mission by whipping up some tears, and instead of being flippant about being pinned against a wall, Lisa began to scream. When Giles reached them, Angel tried to explain what had happened, but Laura and Gina were both sobbing hysterically and Lisa was pleading with him to "just let her go and he would get anything he asked for." Angel felt as if he were in a performance of the theater of the absurd.

"H-he came out of nowhere and his face was all scary and he t-t-tried to _bite_ us!" Gina sobbed, pointing a finger at Angel. He tried to rearrange his face into its normal shape but couldn't seem to calm himself down. He stared at Giles and Oz, trying to think of something to say to prove that it was really him. Giles was glaring at him with hatred blazing in his eyes. _Wonderful. It's not Angelus, it's me!_ he wanted to scream, but he couldn't seem to open his mouth. Oz attempted to wrest Lisa out of Angel's grip, and Angel flung the young man against the wall. Giles frowned and faced Angel, his lips pursed thin with determination.

"Girls, let me handle this," he said authoritatively. He reached into his jacket pocket and produced a small cross. _Oh great._ He thrust it into Angel's face and Angel involuntarily recoiled, releasing his grip on Lisa, who ran into the arms of her still-weeping friends. 

"You're making a mistake, old man," he finally managed to growl, backing away as Giles advanced on him with the cross. Oz looked like he would have seriously considered staking him. And behind the two men, Angel saw three tiny smiles playing on the lips of the three original members of Cecelia Song.

"Oz, get the girls into the car and turn it on. We're taking them home. Where you can't get them, Angelus," Giles spat, gazing at Angel with intense loathing. Oz nodded and escorted the three girls to the car and revved the engine. Giles walked slowly back to the car, never taking his gaze or the cross away from Angel. He then jumped into the backseat and the car sped off. Angel watched, stunned, as the car sped away. He was overcome with a powerful sense of déjà vu.

"Well, would you look at that," a familiar voice came from the shadows of the alley. Angel whipped around and glared at the darkness, willing the disembodied voice to show its origin. After a moment, Xander appeared from the shadows, a small smile on his face. Angel groaned.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, saving your sorry hide, as usual."

Angel glanced at the young man curiously, but resolved not to take his bait. Xander walked over to Angel and stood beside him.

"You know the funny thing about old cars like that?" Xander suddenly asked. Angel shrugged his shoulders. Xander grinned. "They won't last for thirty miles without oil," he ended. Angel glowered at him.

"Does this have anything to do with…anything?" he asked testily. Xander grinned even wider.

He then pointed to a huge oil slick on the parking lot pavement where the convertible used to be, with a thin trail of shiny black liquid following after the car's direction. Angel began to smile.

"Boy am I glad I took that automotives class," Xander said, weaving a small screwdriver through the fingers of his left hand. 


	8. Chapter Seven

The old convertible sped down the streets of Sunnydale, whipping the hair of its passengers like leaves on the trees. Inside the convertible, no one spoke. Oz sat in the driver's seat, scowling out the windshield fiercely as he threw concerned glances to the girl sitting beside him. Lisa was in the passenger seat, resting her head on the door and letting the wind play havoc with her hair, her eyes squeezed shut against the wind without and the threat of tears within.

In the back seat, Gina dazedly watched the houses and trees whoosh by, one arm propping her head up on the armrest. Laura sobbed silently, hunched over in the middle of the bench, her arms wrapped around her knees. Giles absentmindedly rubbed her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. No one said anything as Oz robotically pulled in to the hotel parking lot. They all emptied out of the car and stood, fidgeting, facing each other in an awkward silence. Giles finally caved to the pressure.

"You girls should go on up and get some rest. We'll try to figure out what's happening in the morning," he murmured. Oz nodded and lifted his head to agree with the older man, but the words died on his tongue as he realized that Giles's hand was still on the redhead's shoulder. Oz suddenly realized that things had just become a bit more serious.

"We won't be here then," Laura said softly, almost in a whisper. Oz and Giles gazed at her curiously. She lifted her head and met their stares. "We're leaving. Tonight. Now."

Giles spluttered and turned slightly pale. Lisa and Gina remained silent, keeping their eyes trained on the floor. Oz stared at Laura. After a moment, his eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious."

"We can't stay here with Angelus. He has a few scores he'd like to settle with us," Laura said simply. Oz and Giles exchanged worried expressions.

"This is crap!" Oz exclaimed, kicking the hubcap with all his might. _Oh God, what's this going to do to him? It'll be like when Jenny died…_

"But…we could protect you. We've dealt with Angelus before, we can make him leave the Hellmouth," Giles said quickly, loudly. Oz saw the older man's hand tremble slightly as it left Laura's shoulder. "We _can_ stop him," Giles said, forcefully, grabbing Laura's elbow, making her return his gaze. "You can't leave. Not now," he pleaded. Gina's eyes widened and Lisa cleared her throat.

"Oh my, what a strange-looking license plate on that car way over there out of hearing range. Gina, Oz, I think we should_ inspect it_," Lisa said, emphasizing the last two words. Gina and Oz stared at her for a moment before catching on.

"Oh, _right_. Yes. License plate."

"A license plate that needs inspecting."

"Right there with you."

***

From a trashbin, an emaciated grey cat emerged, stretching thoroughly and focusing its yellow eyes on the bright moonlight overhead. It and the moon stared at each other for a moment, neither willing to break its gaze.

Its ear swiveled after a moment, taking in a new sound coming from a factory close by. The cat broke his contest with the moon and glared at the building. He jumped soundlessly off the bin and went to inspect it.

Inside, Buffy and Willow were belting out "America" from West Side Story, delighting in hearing their voices echo around the large room. They had moved from anger to denial to acceptance rather quickly, and had decided that if they were going to be stuck in an abandoned factory, they were going to enjoy themselves. As they began the second verse, however, the two girls heard a pounding on the entrance to the factory. They fell silent, listening to the loud thuds against the strong doors, both wondering if its assailants would lead them to freedom or greater captivity.

The door suddenly cracked and slammed onto the ground, completely ripped off of its hinges. Buffy and Willow held their breath as they watched the cloud of dust rise and disperse. They saw two figures walk into the building.

"Xander! Angel!" Willow cried happily. Buffy only smiled, smiled until her face hurt. The two men ran over to them and began to untie the ropes that had bound them for so long.

"We knew you'd come! We were just sure!" Willow said happily as Xander pulled on the complicated tangle of ropes. 

"You didn't think I'd actually leave you guys to fend for yourselves, did you?" Xander smiled down at her. "All part of my master plan." Willow grinned and attempted to give Xander instructions on how to most easily untie the knot. 

Beside them, Buffy silently watched Angel rip the cords to thread. 

"Did they hurt you?" he asked quietly after several minutes of silence. Buffy shook her head. Angel looked relieved. "I'm sorry it took so long. I couldn't figure out where you were. I thought you didn't…want…" he trailed off and shook his head, concentrating on the ropes again. Buffy glanced up at him.

"I wanted to be there. Really," she said. Angel stopped working on the ropes and looked down at her. He smiled slightly. "Thank you for coming," Buffy said quietly.

"That's what I'm here for," Angel said matter-of-factly as he wrenched the last tangle apart. Buffy brought her hands down, rubbing the feeling back into her fingers and wrists. She smiled her thanks to him.

"All right!" Willow cried, moving her arms in a windmill motion. "What do we do now?" she asked, jumping up and down.

"I think a little demon-ass-kicking is in order," Xander said calmly. "In the form of three rocker chicks we all love to hate."

"Technically, they're not demons--" Angel began, but Buffy touched his arm lightly and he stopped.

"Sounds like a plan," Buffy said, walking toward the door. Angel walked by her side, motioning for Xander and Willow to keep up.

"We think we know where they're headed…"

***

Giles and Laura both watched the others walk over to the other side of the parking lot; they stood silently beside each other. Laura could feel him turn his gaze back to her, but she did not look up.

"So…uh…how 'bout those Forty-Niners?" Laura said weakly, smiling slightly. Giles raised an eyebrow.

"It's April, Laura. Football is over."

"Oh. Well, how 'bout those Yankees, then?"

"You don't have to leave. We can…um…we'll think of something," Giles said earnestly, reaching over and grasping Laura's other arm. "Please don't leave," he said, bending slightly to meet her gaze.

"I don't want to," she admitted.

"Then don't!" Giles said. "Stay. Here in Sunnydale. With me. I could get you a job in the library or you could go to that god-awful store and work with poufs all day," he began, his mind starting to whirl with opportunities. "Or you could work at the Bronze or--"

"I still have to leave, Giles," Laura said quietly. "I have to." He stopped rambling and bowed his head slightly. She reached up and patted his shoulder gently, and began to break away from his grasp.

"No!" he cried, pulling her to him, encasing her in a tight hug. "No, please don't! I want you to stay! I was only just beginning to recover from the last one, and now you're going to go away and leave me _alone_ again, and it's _not_ fair, it's just _not fair_, and even though I'm the Watcher and a stodgy old man don't I deserve a bit of happiness too? Don't I get anything without someone taking it away as soon as I start to like it?" he babbled as he held Laura there in his arms. Thirty feet away, Lisa, Gina and Oz tried not to stare.

"The only things I know about you are that…you have red hair and you can sing beautifully and that you stole a book from my library, and for some reason it's enough. It's _enough _for me, Laura. I could live on just knowing that," Giles continued, tightening his hold on her. "I don't even know how old you are, which is good because I'd probably feel guilty if I did--"

"Not very likely," she interjected. Giles didn't hear her.

"--And oh how the neighbors would talk but I _don't care_. I don't want you to leave me. Please don't leave me," he finished. "Please."

She remained quiet in his arms for a moment. The world seemed to stop.

"Come with me."

***

"Oi! Hello? Anyone work here?" an irritated voice came from the car parked at the drive-through menu. The car horn sounded twice, the second honk lasting for almost ten seconds. A scratchy voice suddenly came on the intercom.

"Welcome to Dippity-Doo Donuts, can I take your order?"

"'Bout bloody time," the voice grumbled. The driver of the car stuck his platinum-dyed head out the car window slightly to place his order. "I'll take a dozen jelly donuts. The ones with the red filling. And don't try to give me any of those stale ones or I'll come back here and tear off yer legs and beat you with them. I've done it before," he warned.

"Your total is $6.13. Drive around please."

***

"What do you think they're talking about?" Gina asked Lisa and Oz as they sat on the curb, waiting for some indication that it was safe to go back over to the car.

"What, are you kidding?" Oz snorted, tossing a pebble into the street. Lisa and Gina stared at him for a moment. He glanced back at them and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding. You haven't noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"Giles is, like, infatuated with Laura," Oz explained slowly. "He. Likes. Her. A lot."

"Ohhhhh," they both said. "Yeah, we knew that he liked her. So?" Oz stared at them skeptically.

"Well, see, Giles doesn't really like anyone. He used to. He and this other teacher at the high school had a thing going, but then Angel turned up and killed her." Lisa and Gina gasped. Oz nodded. "Yeah, tell me about it. And Angel took her over to Giles's apartment so that _he_ found her. We didn't know if he would recover, to tell the truth," Oz remembered, his face growing sad and tired and old. "He just…stopped talking. He never talked much to begin with, but he would just stay in the library, with his books, ignoring anyone who came to check on him. It was scary for all of us. And now that you guys are leaving, well…" Oz trailed off. Lisa and Gina exchanged glances.

"You don't know how he'll handle it?"

"Yeah. It's not much of a comparison, I mean, he knew Jenny forever, but--"

"Do you want to come with us, Oz?" Lisa suddenly asked. Gina and Oz both looked at her in amazement. Oz gave a little astounded laugh.

"What was that?"

"Will you come with us? Back to L.A.?" she asked again. Gina began to nod her head enthusiastically. Oz stared at her, disbelief written on his features.

"You're joking, right?"

"No joke," Lisa smiled. "You're a great bassist, and we all really like you. When we got to L.A., we could talk with our label and see if we could get you a contract," Lisa said. Oz's eyes grew wide with the possibility of a break into the business. Then he thought of Dingoes, and of the Bronze, and of Sunnydale and Buffy and Xander and…Willow.

"…I couldn't, you guys," he said, crestfallen.

"Why not?" Gina asked petulantly.

"I have too many things tying me to Sunnydale," Oz said. Lisa snorted.

"Like what?"

"Well, school."

"You could transfer! Or get your GED," Gina offered.

"And Dingoes," he said.

"You could always bring them up after you got settled," Lisa said.

"And, well, Buffy and the gang."

"Right, because helping to hunt demons every night is just so fun," Lisa scoffed.

Oz looked at the two of them. "Willow," he said simply.

Lisa and Gina remained silent for a moment.

"As Hamlet would say, 'Ah, there's the rub'," Gina remarked. Lisa and Oz both stared at her for a moment. She glared back at them defensively. "What? Oh, so because I'm blonde I can't say something intelligent?" Oz gazed back at the ground.

"Oz? I know she means very much to you, and I respect you very much for not wanting to leave her. But I have to wonder if you mean as much to her. She didn't show up at the performance, did she?" Lisa asked gently. Oz looked up at her sharply, wounded.

"Well, no, but--"

"Oh, I'm sure it was something important that kept her away. But still--" Lisa trailed off. A tiny seed of doubt planted itself firmly in Oz's mind.

"We're not saying you could never come back to Sunnydale. We just think you have a very good chance of making it in L.A. You're a very talented individual, Oz. We both know that, even if Willow doesn't," Lisa said quietly.

"She _does_ know--"

"I meant as fellow musicians, Oz. I'm not trying to insult her," Lisa explained. Gina nodded. "You could bring her up to L.A., too, after you got everything in order." Oz sat still, contemplating the new and completely foreign idea. Leave Willow? He couldn't! 

…Could he?

***

"I beg your pardon?" Giles asked, lessening his hold on Laura slightly and gazing down at her, his eyes clouded with confusion.

"Come with me, Giles. With us," she said again, beginning to smile. "Back to L.A."

Giles stares at her for a silent moment. A small smile appeared on his lips and he began to laugh, nervous high-pitched chuckles. "You're joking!" he said. He glanced at Laura, who looked vaguely hurt. "Oh. You're _not_ joking," he said soberly. "You know I can't do that, Laura," he sighed, stroking her hair distractedly. There was another silent pause.

"Why not?" she suddenly cried, shoving herself out of his hold and folding her arms, glaring at him fiercely.

Taken aback, Giles said mildly, "Because Buffy needs me here." Laura kicked the tire of the old car.

"So it's okay for you to ask me to give up _my_ life, but I can't ask you to do the same because that's just absurd? God, Giles!" she said, exasperated. "What would you be giving up? A failed career as a Watcher? A Slayer who's not even your responsibility anymore, who clings to you because she lacks a father figure? A bunch of teenagers who revere you because you know how to say big words?"

Giles stared at her, bewildered. He then frowned, folding his own arms as he replied. "I don't expect you to understand the sense of duty I feel as Buffy's W…ex-Watcher. But please realize that it's been my entire life."

"That's right, I wouldn't understand a sense of duty since I'm just a flighty little girl in a band," Laura said sarcastically.

"No, I mean…you're missing the point entirely. I _can't_ leave," Giles said, letting his arms drop to his sides. "I just can't."

"And I can't stay," Laura said dejectedly. They both regarded each other for a moment. "This sucks," Laura said decidedly.

"I'm rather inclined to agree with you," Giles said, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes..

"I mean it. This really really sucks. Because I know I'm going to have to leave you here and the thought of doing that makes me want to rip out all my vital organs because they all begin to _hurt_. And I _don't_ understand why and it's making me crazy because then I can't think about anything except the pain and you and how damn sexy you look in green and that just makes it hurt _worse._ So thanks a lot, you big jerk," Laura said, slamming her hand on the hood of the car for emphasis.

"My apologies," Giles said, concealing a smile. "If it's any consolation, I hear that the painfulness of a crush ends quickly."

"I don't get crushes," Laura said agitatedly, fumbling in the pockets of her coat and pulling out a mangled package of cigarettes. "I've never gotten a crush because men were always just stupid and hairy and never worth thinking about. And I can't believe my stupidity," she said, shakily putting a cigarette in her mouth and beginning to search for a lighter, "that I actually let one _get_ to me, especially some Brit librarian stuck in Podunk America, fighting the forces of evil with a bunch of overly hormonal sex-crazed adolescents. It figures," she continued ranting, "that my absolutely _shit_ luck would lead me to fall in love with some guitar-playing sweater-vest-wearing man with an obsessive sense of duty and very nearly no fashion sense at all and damn it, do you have a match?" Laura asked as she gave up trying to find her lighter. She glared at Giles, who stared back at her blankly.

"You just said you loved me," he said vacantly.

"Yeah, and don't even get me _started_ on that," she said, beginning to search through the glove compartment in the car. "Do you know how humiliatingly pathetic it is to realize you love someone after a little over twenty-four hours? It's freakish and…and sick and wrong!" She stared at him for a moment. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"D'you have a match?"

"No," Giles said, suddenly standing very tall and arranging his face in what the Slayerettes privately called the "Purposeful Giles" look. "No, I don't, and it's a very good thing because smoking is very very rotten for your health and your mouth."

Laura glared at him for a moment. "Why the hell do _you _care?"

Giles glared back at her for a moment and took a step toward her. "_Because._" And then he grabbed her and pulled her close to him and into a very shocking kiss.

***

As he walked down a darkened road in an isolated neighborhood, Angel suddenly stopped. Xander, Willow and Buffy stared at him curiously.

"What's up?" Buffy asked. "Everything all right?" she continued after Angel didn't answer. Angel looked at her, confusion in his eyes.

"Yes, everything's…fine. There was just something…strange for a minute," he said perplexedly. He glanced at the three. "You guys didn't just feel anything weird happen a minute ago, did you?" 

The others looked at each other and back at Angel and shook their head in unison.

"That was weird," Angel said. "You're sure you didn't feel anything?" he asked again, uncertainly. 

"No, nothing," Xander said, his eyebrows raised.

"Why? What happened?" Buffy asked. Angel stood still, silent for another moment.

"I'm not quite sure. Everything suddenly…lurched forward a little bit. Just, like…I don't know. The earth…moved," he explained, searching the faces of the others for comprehension.

Buffy, Willow and Xander all exchanged glances. Willow shrugged. They resumed walking.

***


	9. Chapter Eight--Finale

"My legs are falling asleep," Gina complained as she sat on the curb, hidden by an old sedan. Lisa and Oz glanced at her, each nodding their sympathy as they shifted on their own uncomfortably concrete seats. 

"Do you think we can go back now? It's been almost ten minutes," Gina said. 

"Yeah, I suppose so," Oz said. "I don't think Giles could handle a conversation for more than ten minutes." He stood up and brushed his pants off and looked around to where Giles and Laura were standing. He quickly sat back down again. Gina and Lisa looked at him curiously.

"Well? Are they done talking?" 

"Um. Yes," Oz said, considering his words. Lisa glanced at him quizzically.

"So we can…go, then," she said. Oz looked at her and quickly shook his head.

"No, that would definitely not be a good idea." He stared at Lisa, willing her to understand. "They are…busy right now." Finally, comprehension dawned. 

"_Ohhhh_. Good lord."

"Yeah."

Gina looked from Lisa to Oz, confusion written on her face. "What the heck is going on?" she complained. "Somebody explain!" Lisa turned to Gina and cocked her head slightly. 

"Giles and Laura are kissing, Gina," she said after a beat.

"Oh," Gina said. She wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Can he still do that?"

"Apparently," Oz said, rubbing his eyes. "And in several different languages, no less." Oz made a disgusted little face. "Disturbing."

***

They broke apart after a moment, suddenly uncertain and shy. Giles glanced at the girl he still held in his arms and sighed.

"I think perhaps I just made things a lot more difficult for us," he reflected after a pause. "Terribly sorry about that."

Laura looked up at him, question in her eyes. "Do you think it was the right thing to do?"

Giles pondered for a moment. "Yes. I'm rather sure it was, actually."

She smiled. "So you wanted to do it."

"Silly question," Giles smiled tentatively. "If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't have done it. Think logically, dear."

"Beginning to," Laura said, a small secret smile on her face as she straightened his coat collar. "I think you just made things easier for us." Giles looked at her quizzically.

"How so?" he asked, intrigued. Laura didn't reply, just smiled. She suddenly grabbed his coat collar and roughly pulled him close to her, still smiling.

"Trust me," she said. And she kissed him again.

The green light that suddenly burst like a laser between their two bodies went unnoticed by Lisa, Gina and Oz, twenty feet away. Giles didn't notice the green glow surrounding him and his red-haired companion, nor did he notice the fact that his feet had left the ground entirely and that they were hovering two feet in the air. All the Watcher knew was the slight chill of her skin and the faint smell of her watermelon shampoo and how beautifully her hair sifted through his fingers. And he felt the uncertainty and pain of losing her suddenly melt away, replaced by a euphoric and calm unwavering purpose.

He pulled away from her slightly and the green glow vanished. Giles, his feet firmly grounded, smiled happily down at Laura, his hand tracing her cheek gently as his eyes remained faraway. "I think I've found a solution to our problem," he said to her simply. Laura gave him a calm and assured smile. 

"Really?" she asked, leaning on his shoulder lightly.

"Oh, indeed," Giles replied, still smiling somewhat vacantly. "It only takes me fifteen minutes to pack, you know." 

Laura nodded and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. "I'm glad to see you're finally thinking logically, Giles." She looked up at him and smiled. "We should go."

"Certainly, dear. Would you mind calling me 'Rupert' from now on, though?" he asked as they began to walk over to the others. "I think we've effectually destroyed the formality of our relationship."

Laura grinned. "All right. Though I warn you now, I may end up giving you another nickname. You don't have any childhood ones I could tease you with, do you?" 

Giles glanced at her quickly. "We'll save that topic for later discussion," he said quickly. Laura laughed lightly and squeezed his hand. "Come on," he said, walking briskly, keeping his hold on her hand. One step behind him, Laura smiled triumphantly as she muffled a gleeful giggle. 

And Giles's eyes shone green in the moonlight.

***

Buffy stalked down the street, stake in hand. Willow, Xander and Angel followed closely behind, giving each other worried glances every now and then.

"So…what's the plan, Buff?" Xander asked, making sure he was well out of staking range. 

"Find those bitches, maim them, and then kill them," Buffy said levelly, still maintaining her drill sergeant gait. "And get Oz and Giles back," she added after a pause.

"I like that part," Willow piped up. Xander and Angel glanced at her. "What? Hi, he's my boyfriend! I should be allowed to show some partiality here," she said defensively. Xander and Angel exchanged a glance.

"Good plan," Xander said after a moment. "I especially like the maiming. You're good with the maiming, aren't you, Buff?" he asked.

"She should be. She's had a lot of practice," Angel said, walking beside her. Buffy glanced at him quickly. "You shouldn't let your emotions get the better of you, Buffy. These girls aren't to be messed with."

"Don't plan on messing with them. Just plan on killing them," Buffy said. 

"I know, but…they have powers, Buffy. And they're kinda immortal," Angel said quietly. Behind him, Willow and Xander quickened their pace slightly to eavesdrop. "I don't want you to go and get your head blown off because someone bruised your ego," he said.

Buffy glared at him. "I think I can handle myself, thanks," she said icily. "And how do you know so much about these girls, anyway?"

Angel coughed. "We've met before," he said.

Xander jumped in between the two "Wait! I know that 'We've met before' line. That's the line you use on your…_ohhh_. Dude!" he said, raising his hand in an attempt to gain a high-five from Angel. He only succeeded in gaining glares from both Angel and Buffy. "…Yeah. And I'm going to…slink away now and pretend I never said anything. As usual," Xander said. He punched Angel lightly on the shoulder and walked back over to Willow. An icy chill descended over the couple.

"So," Buffy began. "Get around with the immortal whores, do ya?" She glared at him. Angel rolled his eyes and sighed.

"It wasn't me, it was Angelus," he began, "and Lisa's not a whore."

"Oh, yes, let's defend the whore to the girlfriend. Always a good plan," Buffy said icily. 

"Let it go. She left me for a musician anyway," Angel said. He frowned a bit at the memory. "Stupid Franz, taking all the girls--should have bitten him when I had the chance," he mumbled. Buffy shot him a look. Angel fell silent. Buffy sighed.

"So how do I get Giles and Oz back from these girls?" she asked humorlessly. She turned to Angel and stopped walking. "Come on, you're the expert."

"Well…"

***

Lisa, Gina and Oz all stood as they heard footsteps approaching. 

"So what's the plan, Giles?" Oz asked as soon as the other two joined them, trying to avoid eye contact with the older man.

"I'm going with them," Giles said simply. Lisa and Gina grinned and winked at Laura, who winked back from her post behind Giles. Oz looked at him in shock.

"Y-you are?" he asked uncertainly. He walked over to the Watcher and bent his head conspiratorially toward him. "Do you think that's such a good idea, Giles? I mean, leaving Buffy? She's going to take this pretty hard. And we've still got that thing with the mayor to deal with and--"

"Buffy doesn't need me anymore," Giles said mechanically. "I am not her Watcher and do not have any ties to Sunnydale and am not appreciated and crave mature conversation with mature adults," he continued, much in the manner of a Stepford wife. Oz took a step back from the older man and stared at him in alarm.

"Giles? You okay?" he asked uncertainly. Giles smiled beatifically down at the younger man and nodded. It was then that Oz noticed the green tinge to the Watcher's eyes.

"Giles? You wearing contacts?" Oz asked, puzzled. He squinted at the light green blaze within the Watcher's gaze. Suddenly his eyes widened. "Oh. Oh God."

"What's the matter, Oz?" Lisa asked, suddenly right behind him. Oz turned around to face her.

"You…you?" he stumbled over his words, retreating slowly to the hotel entrance, his eyes fearful. Lisa smiled slightly as she continued walking toward him.

"Me?" she laughed lightly. "What on earth did I do?"

Oz glared at her. "You stay away from me. And Willow."

"Mm, too late," Lisa grinned, still advancing on him. "We didn't hurt her. Much. She's holding you back, Oz. She's not letting you realize your full potential," she said, her expression growing more serious. "She wants you to stay here and be her little pet." Lisa suddenly appeared immediately in front of Oz, who stumbled. She reached out and grabbed his collar, holding him by it as she continued. "We can make you famous, Oz. Famous and rich and loved. Don't you want that?" she asked softly. Oz stared at her, speechless. Lisa smiled. "Sure you do. Now, sit tight--this won't hurt at all." Oz recoiled and cried out, shouting a warning to the Willow he loved before everything exploded in a haze of green and warmth and light.

***

"..a punk rocker, Shee-eena is…a punk rocker…hmm-mm-mm a punk rocker no-o-o-o-ow," a slightly flat voice sang along to the radio in the old car. Ten fingers with sloppily-painted black nail polish drummed forcefully on the steering wheel along with the bass. The driver groaned as the song ended and another came on, a weepy version of "All By Myself."

"Bloody chick songs," the same voice drawled, in a bored posh accent. The driver reached over to the passenger's seat and flipped open a box, revealing half a dozen slightly-mangled doughnuts. He grabbed one and shoved it into his mouth whole. A cloud of powdered sugar snowed down upon his black leather duster and the man grinned into the rearview mirror, revealing a row of purpled teeth.

"I do love raspberries," he said to himself, accelerating the car slightly as the music crescendoed. He remained silent for a moment; the car filled up with the sentimental chords and began spilling them out of the open windows. As the car drove off toward L.A., one could barely hear a sniff come from the driver's side and a slightly-warbling voice begin to sing along with the music.

"…Don't wanna be…all by myyyy-self…anymoooooore…"

***

Oz and Lisa sat in the front seat of the old convertible, their fingertips lightly touching as Lisa drove madly for L.A. Behind them, Giles and Laura continued their experiment to see just how little space they could put between themselves while still retaining separate bodies. Gina stared at them all disgustedly and returned to gazing at the swiftly-passing landscape. Laura hummed almost inaudibly as she ran her fingers along the arm-seam of Giles's shirt.

The car shook slightly. And then it lurched forward. Lisa cursed as she took her foot off the accelerator.

"What's the matter? Did we run someone over?" Laura asked absentmindedly.

"No," Oz said from the front, peering over the hood of the car to see what was happening.

"Pity," Gina drawled. "Been hours since something amusing happened."

"I'll have to disagree with you there," Giles told her, smiling at Laura. Gina rolled her eyes.

"Could you two maybe _stop_ campaigning for Sickening Romantic Couple of the Year?" she asked petulantly. Laura narrowed her eyes at Gina. "It's disgusting, Laura. Quit it."

"Terribly sorry, really. Your disgust couldn't perhaps be attributed to the fact that the only action you saw all weekend was a door slamming in your face, could it?"

"Oh, now that was just hurtful." Gina slumped into her seat.

"Perhaps you two would like to shut the hell up so I can figure out what's wrong with the car," Lisa suddenly snapped from the driver's seat. Gina and Laura looked up to see faint emissions of smoke coming from underneath the hood of the car.

"Well. That's not normal car behavior, is it?" Giles asked. Everyone glared at him. "I'm a librarian," he said defensively. "I deal in books. Not cars."

"Amazing that you never picked up a book about cars," Lisa grumbled. 

"Cars aren't Giles's thing, Lisa," Laura said calmly.

"Oh, certainly. Any knowledge that would ever be _useful_ isn't part of his repertoire," Lisa snapped, glancing worriedly at the front of the car.

"I beg your pardon!" Giles exclaimed mildly from the backseat.

"You should," Lisa muttered. "_Damn_ it!" she shouted as the car lurched in the street. "Hold on, I'm pulling over," she announced, both hands clamped firmly on the steering wheel. The maligned car wobbled to a stop just twenty feet from the "Leaving Sunnydale" sign. Lisa and Oz both jumped out of the car and raced to the front of the car. Oz propped open the hood and coughed as a giant smoke-cloud hit him in the face.

"Wow," he spluttered. "Well, hate to tell you guys this, but we're not going anywhere for a while."

"Why?" the three girls shouted. "No, we have to get out of Sunnydale! Can't you just, like give it some gas or something?" Laura asked Oz. He gave her a sidelong glance and decided not to respond.

"There's no oil. None," he said incredulously. "Did you guys get behind on your Jiffy Lube appointments?" he asked the girls. Lisa took a look at the car's innards in disbelief.

"No. I checked the oil every two weeks. Didn't miss it once. What the hell?" she cried, banging the side of the car. Oz frowned at the car and then squinted at the complicated mess of tubes and wires. 

"Wait. There's something…" He peered into a small crevice. "Well, that explains it. Something poked a hole in there. See?" he pointed to the small hole as Lisa squinted beside him.

"Oh," she said. She straightened up and bit her lip, concentrating hard. Oz took another look at the small puncture wound the car was suffering from.

"I can't figure out what could get to it from there, though," Oz said, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Not what," Lisa said after a moment's silence. "Who." She scowled and walked over to Gina and Laura. She grabbed them both by an arm and dragged them over near the sign, leaving Oz and Giles to look at the smoking car in wonder. "He did it," she said, her voice low.

"Who?"

"Xander. I _told_ you he'd stay loyal to them! Damn it, _why_ does nobody listen to me? He's killed our car and we're stuck out here with two completely useless males and how the hell are we going to get out now?" Lisa fumed, kicking the "Leaving Sunnydale" sign. Laura bit her thumbnail and scowled.

"Not good. I swear if I ever see that idiot I'll tear his eyebrows off," Laura said angrily.. 

"Maybe if you'd have flirted with him more instead of being Frigid Ice Bitch we wouldn't be in this situation," Gina said nastily, hiding behind Laura. Lisa glared at both of them.

"Maybe if you'd have settled for Disneyland instead of the Hellmouth for a minibreak we wouldn't be in this situation," Lisa countered.

"Maybe if you two would shut up we could figure a way out of this situation," Laura said. "We could always…you know," Laura said, pointing to her shoulders.

"Ugh. Let's make that Plan B."

"Yeah, do you know how heavy they'd be?"

"All right, all right."

***

"So where exactly are we headed?" Willow asked.

"Outskirts of town. I saw the girls at their little 'show' and then they booked it shortly after," Angel said abruptly. "Good thing Xander managed some sabotage or else we might not have never known where Giles and Oz went."

"Oz!" Willow said unhappily, pulling on Buffy's sleeve.

"You saw the show?" Xander asked Angel.

"Yeah."

"Oh," Xander said. "…What were they wearing?"

"Xander!" Buffy and Willow yelled in unison. Xander raised his hands defensively.

"What? It's so we can _identify_ them, guys."

"No need for that," Angel said suddenly as they walked down the street.

"Why?"

Angel pointed ahead of them, and the others turned their heads to see, off in the distance, a familiar car on the side of the road with figures standing around it.

***

"Should we call a tow truck or a cab or something?" Oz asked as the girls rejoined him and Giles.

"Not enough time for that. We need to leave now," Lisa said. "Is there any way we can patch this up until we get to L.A.?"

"I don't think so. This isn't the stick-a-piece-of-gum-in-it sort of damage," Oz said.

"I remember reading something about…um…trans-missives in a magazine once," Giles said helpfully. Laura rested a hand on his arm lightly and he stopped.

"I have a van. We could go back into town and get it," Oz told them. The girls pondered the idea, but Laura shook her head.

"No, I think we should just call a cab. We have enough money to get to L.A. in one, and we can have someone from the agency come and get our stuff," she said contemplatively. The others nodded in agreement. "Does anyone have a cell phone?" she asked.

"You can borrow mine," an unpleasantly familiar voice came from about twenty feet in the distance. The three girls and their two male companions turned to see Buffy and her gang advancing on them swiftly. Buffy smiled nastily at Laura as she walked up to her. "But there's a three-minute no-Watcher local-calls-only limit," she finished. The two girls glared at each other for a moment until Buffy suddenly punched Laura in the face.

Laura smiled, unhurt and unfazed. "Ooh. That was fun. Do it again," she said calmly. Then she punched back. 

Buffy flew back into Xander, who promptly fell to the ground. She struggled to her feet. "…_Ow_!" she said, put out. "You _hurt_ me, you stupid…really really old slut!" She kicked Laura hard in the shins; Laura fell onto one knee. She glared at the Slayer. Giles stepped forward as Laura fell to the ground, but Lisa stayed him and walked over to help her comrade

"God, you mortal girls get stupider every generation," Lisa said as she helped Laura up. Buffy turned to face her, the look of loathing on her face deepening.

"Are you Lisa?"

"Yes. And?"

"You know Angel."

Lisa smirked. "In a sense, yes."

Buffy snarled and hurled herself at the girl, clawing and kicking and punching. Lisa fended her off rather well, and Gina suddenly jumped into the battle as she grabbed the Slayer by the hair and held her unmoving for a moment. Angel suddenly appeared and threw Gina into the middle of the road and away from Buffy, and Xander suddenly ran over to Laura, threw her on the ground, and attempted to pin her arms.

"Et tu Brute?" she asked, smiling as she and Xander struggled for the upper hand. 

"Yeah. That's me," Xander smirked. "Nice outfit," he said, just as Giles whacked him in the head with a tree branch. The older man reached down and helped her up.

"Thanks, man. Could have taken him by myself, though," Laura said as she dusted herself off.

"Oh, certainly. I'll just sit over here by the car, shall I?" Giles asked. Laura nodded. 

"I think that would be wise," she said as she launched herself onto a scarily vamped-out Angel attempting to break Lisa's legs.

Giles nodded and sat on the car's hood. He looked up at the sky. "Oh, look. There's Orion…"

The battle raged for several minutes, until everyone was on the ground, panting or unconscious. Everyone, that is, except for Willow and Oz, who had somehow managed to remain out of the fight. Willow peered curiously at Oz, who gave her a curious glance and then went back to staring impassively at the scene before him.

"Oz?" she asked tentatively. Oz looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah?"

Willow smiled, relief on her face. "Oh, good. You know me." Oz snorted.

"Of course I know you. You're Willow and we used to go out until you tried to hinder my journey to fame and fortune and I broke up with you," Oz said robotically, his arms crossed as he watched the others struggle to their feet with interest.

Willow's face fell. "You…you think that? But I thought we had worked all this out and--"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you wanted me to always stay in Sunnydale and be your little lapdog," Oz interrupted, shrugging. Willow approached him slowly. Oz didn't move, just continued to gaze at her indifferently. Willow reached out to grab his arm, but when her fingertips touched his skin, green sparks suddenly shocked them.

"_Ow!_" they both exclaimed in unison. They looked at each other. Oz laughed. "That was weird," he said; and then he began to survey the others again. Willow looked as if she might cry.

"Oz?" she asked again, her voice quavering. Oz looked up at her again, this time frustrated. Willow squinted and raised an eyebrow, leaning in close to look at Oz's eyes. He backed away in nervous alarm.

"What…what are you doing?" he asked, walking away from her. Willow's eyes suddenly widened in understanding.

"Oz, you're under a spell. They brainwashed you," she said, pointing to Laura, Gina and Lisa. Oz looked at them, and then back at Willow. He laughed again.

"They're my friends," he told Willow, looking at her as if she were crazy. "You tried to brainwash me." Willow shook her head, frowning.

"No, Oz, they're not your friends. They're…evil girls and they dress all skanky and--"

"Hey!" Lisa, Gina and Laura shouted at the same time. They shot Willow a look. Willow didn't seem to notice, nor did she notice that everyone had stopped fighting and was forming a small circle around her and Oz.

"Oz, give me your hand," Willow said, holding hers out. Oz looked at her hand and then back at her.

"Are you crazy? We'll get shocked again."

"No we won't. I know how to make the spell stop. Oz, you have to believe me," Willow said, frustrated. "You've only known them, like, a day. You've known me for more than a year. Trust me, Oz," she pleaded. Oz looked at her quizzically, and then looked over her shoulder to the three girls. They all shook their heads slowly. Lisa walked up to him, standing beside him. Oz glanced at her, as if for support in trying to make the delusional Willow understand.

"You and Willow were a couple. And then she cheated on you. Remember the pain?" Lisa asked quietly. Willow looked at her, her eyes filled with tears and hatred. "We've never hurt you like that, Oz," Lisa continued.

"No! No, Oz, it wasn't like that, we worked it out! You have to trust me, Oz, you have to remember. Give me your hand," she pleaded. 

"Come on, Oz. Let's go," Lisa said, holding her hand out. "Let's get out of here." Oz glanced at Lisa for a moment, and then at Willow. He stood silent for a moment, and then glanced back at Lisa and nodded. 

"All right. Let's go."

Willow emitted a small wail of frustration and pain. "No! No, Oz, you can't leave, it's not real, it's the spell! You _know_ me!" Lisa began to walk away and Oz began to turn away from her, still looking at Willow quizzically. "Oz, I love you," she said softly, crying silently. Oz stared at her for a moment, intense concentration on his face.

"You love me," Oz said, nodding. "Yeah. You love me. Willow," he said, turning to face her. "Willow loves me. I know that." Lisa turned around ten feet away, her eyes growing wide as Oz reached for Willow's hand.

"Oz? What are you doing?" she asked, walking over again. "Come on, let's--"

She was cut off as Oz suddenly grabbed Willow's hand. A burst of light illuminated the street and its passengers, turning Willow and Oz almost transparent with its brilliance. Lisa's eyes widened even more and she grabbed Oz's other hand, trying to combat whatever spell Willow was attempting. The white light was suddenly tinged green.

Laura, Gina, Xander, Angel and Giles all looked on in astonishment as the light became greener and then whiter with the force of the two girls' powers. Laura began to run over to break the spell, but Angel caught her, holding her still as they watched Willow and Lisa battle. Xander got the hint and slammed a dumbfounded Gina to the ground enthusiastically.

"Giles! Giles, help them!" Laura suddenly shouted as she attempted to break free from Angel's grasp. Giles, shaken out of his amazement, nodded and jogged purposefully over to the three illuminated figures. Buffy stirred and jumped to her feet, ready to make a run for Giles before he destroyed the spell. Angel caught her as well, holding her by the waist as she kicked and struggled.

"Ssh, Buffy. Willow knows what she's doing," he said quietly. Buffy stopped struggling.

Giles approached Willow cautiously, hovering just out of the light. He finally got up the courage to tap her on the shoulder. "Um, hello? Could you--" Willow suddenly grabbed Giles's wrist with an inhuman strength. Giles gaped at her for a moment and attempted to release her hold. "Um, if you could possibly…Quite a firm grip you have there…" Giles stammered as he attempted to release himself. His eyes widened as he watched the white light creep over him. "Uh…you seem to be…contagious, if we could just let me go…oh dear…"

Willow began to speak softly, forcefully, as the light became more and more intense. The remaining few not involved saw Lisa's usually-confident expression turn to one of vague fear as the light gradually lost its green tinge. Angel, Xander, Gina, Laura and Buffy looked on in amazement, squinting their eyes as the light became brighter and brighter. 

Laura whimpered. Gina, her eyes wide in astonishment, said very quietly "Oh. My. God."

And then everything exploded.

They were all thrown back ten feet by the impact. As soon as Laura and Gina managed to get to their feet and away from the others, they ran over to Lisa, Xander, Willow and Giles, who all lay crumpled on the pavement. Gina shook Lisa vehemently, muttering curses as she tried to figure out what to do. Laura ran to Giles and hovered over him, placing a finger on his wrist to see what the extent of the damage was. Giles's eyes suddenly flew open.

"Oh," he said, surprised. He sat up and looked around. "What am I doing on the ground? Hello, Laura," he said absentmindedly. "When did Buffy and the rest get here?"

Laura stared at him blankly. "Rupert?"

Giles looked at her, slightly astonished. "When did you find out my first name?" he asked her. Laura sighed and bowed her head. "Did I miss something?" he wondered, frustrated, his voice echoing clearly.

"She had you under a spell, Giles," Buffy said, raising to her feet. She stood and faced them, her face resolute. "She's not human. She and her friends were going to take you to L.A. with them." Giles gazed at Buffy in amazement and chuckled.

"Now really, Buffy, that's enough."

"It's true, Giles," Angel said, standing beside Buffy. "They enchanted you. They're sirens," he explained determinedly. "It's what they do." Giles shook his head slightly and glanced at Laura, who avoided his gaze.

"Ridiculous," Giles said. "Sirens are mythological creatures. They'd have to be centuries… millennia old."

"They are. I met Lisa in 1809," Angel said, glaring at her. He was interrupted as Oz suddenly sat up.

"Willow?" he asked incredulously. "When did you get here?" he asked the girl next to him, helping her up gently. Willow looked at him in amazement and then threw her arms around his neck and burst into tears.

"I knew you'd remember, I just knew…" she sobbed. Oz glanced at the others in confusion, before awkwardly patting her on the back. Lisa and Gina huddled together away from the others. Laura retained her post by Giles. Giles looked on at the events, confusion written on his face. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"This is all very puzzling," he said suddenly. "Would you mind summarizing, please?"

"Laura, Lisa and Gina are immortal man-eaters who had both you and Oz under their spell and they were about to take you to L.A. and make you their love slaves until we, um…rescued…you…" Xander said, contemplating the facts. "And this is a good thing, right?" he asked Buffy.

"Shut up, Xander," she said quickly. He glared at her.

"Again with the 'shut ups'," he replied sarcastically.

Giles looked at him quizzically. "That's absolutely ludicrous. They're just harmless witches, they'd never put a spell on me," he said, turning to face Laura. "Would you, dear?" Laura bit her lip and dug one Mary Jane into the gravel. Giles raised his eyebrows. "You…didn't, did you? You wouldn't put a spell on me?"

Laura looked around nervously. "It was the only way you'd come," she said softly. Giles stared at her, astonishment and dismay beginning to show themselves on his face.

"So…you _did_ put a spell on me? All this is true?" he asked her, grabbing her arms and making her face him.

"Oh, and they killed those college students," Buffy said impartially.

Giles stared at her, and then at Laura. "You…kill people?"

"We didn't mean to," Laura said dejectedly.

Angel's eyes narrowed. "Like hell you didn't. Giles, these three have been responsible for more deaths than me, Darla, Drusilla and Spike put together. They enthrall and abandon humans, leaving them with nothing if they leave anything of them to start with."

Giles sat back down on the ground. Laura remained standing, tears shining in her eyes. "It wasn't like that with you," she said. "I just wanted you to come with me."

"Who are you going to believe, Giles?" Buffy asked the older man quietly.

Giles shook his head and remained still for a moment, processing the information, wrestling with the new influx of inner turmoil. The only sound was a sniff from Laura. He raised his head suddenly and glared at Laura. "You wanted me to come only so you could have fun toying with a stodgy old man's emotions, correct?" he snapped, rising to his feet and walking away from her.

Laura looked as if she had been slapped. "No! No, it's not _like_ that. Rupert, I love you, I--"

"Giles," he said, scowling at her. "My name is Giles. And don't pretend anymore; it's not fun for you now that I know the truth. You lied to me. And put spells on me. And killed innocent people. Forgive me if I don't quite believe you when you say you're reformed."

"But Rupert--" she said, walking after him. Giles suddenly whirled around and caught her arm. Laura emitted a small cry of pain.

"My. Name. Is. Giles," he said, throwing her to the ground and beginning to walk back toward town. "Don't bother remembering it."

Laura half-sat, half-sprawled there on the road for a moment, watching him walk away. A silent moment passed. She suddenly hammered the ground with her fist. "_Damn_ it!" she cried, wiping the tears running down her face with her coat sleeve. "_Damn _it _damn _it _damn it!_" she cried again, vehemently, stomping her feet on the pavement.

"I'll say," Buffy said, walking toward the fallen redhead. "Sucks to be you," she grinned as she kicked Laura forcefully in the ribs.

Lisa and Gina rushed over to the group, only to be intercepted by Xander and Angel as the fight began anew.

"You tried to seduce and destroy my Watcher. Not good," Buffy said, kicking Laura again. "And then you hit me on the head. _Really _not helping your cause. And then you tied me up," she said, assuming her fighting stance as Laura dragged herself to her feet. Buffy whirled around to punch an advancing Lisa just as she was about to strike. "And _you _slept with my boyfriend," she told Lisa's prone figure. She turned back to Laura. "Yeah, I'd say you're all toast."

Laura didn't respond, just glared at the Slayer behind a ragged curtain of unkempt red curls. She suddenly attacked the blonde, throwing her to the ground and punching her repeatedly.

"I…loved…him," she sobbed, punctuating every word with another jab. Buffy threw her off and jumped to her feet.

"No you didn't. You don't know what it is to love. You were just mildly entertained by him," Buffy said. Laura paused and considered.

"Yeah, you're probably right," she said as she dealt Buffy a swift kick to the knee.

The fight raged on. Angel was being double-teamed as Gina maintained a death grip on his neck and Lisa punched everywhere she possibly could. Xander suddenly appeared with the same tree branch Giles had used on him before and catapulted Gina off Angel's back and into the brush on the other side of the road. Xander ran after her, leaving Angel with Lisa and a new surge of adrenalin.

"You look all dangerous when you're fangy like that," Lisa told Angel as she had him in a headlock. A moment later, after Angel had successfully flipped her over onto the pavement, he responded. "I'm sure it's quite a turn-on."

"Oh, indeed."

Giles was fifty feet away and counting, ignoring the shouts and cries behind him. 

Xander, Angel and Buffy continued fighting. Willow and Oz stood away from the fighting, trying to recoup from the energy sapped by Willow's spell. Gina had emerged from the brush with another tree branch and so for a few minutes she and Xander engaged in a farcical fencing match. The three sirens were slowly being maneuvered into a trap against their car. Laura, Lisa and Gina all exchanged glances as they realized they were stuck. Buffy, smiling, approached them, stake in hand.

"Check," she said, twirling the stake in her fingers. "You know, for girls who have been alive since fashion began, none of it has seemed to rub off on you," she smirked, confidently assuming a battle stance.

Laura, Lisa and Gina shot daggers at her. Gina was the one who spoke.

"You've taken our men, you've broken up our band, you've destroyed our car, you've _completely _messed up my hair, you've tried to kill us, and _now_ you're mocking our _fashion sense?_" she shouted, standing tall and dangerous. "_A girl has a breaking point! _We've put up with a lot from you," she shouted, her voice crescendoing with every syllable, "but questioning our ability to dress _is the last straw!_" she screamed, her face paling with fury. Buffy, Xander and Angel all backed away slightly as the three girls began to glow, each of them screaming until suddenly wings burst from their shoulderblades. They all gasped as they watched the facial features of the girls, once so pleasing, elongate slightly until they looked like birds. Suddenly the glow vanished, and the three girls opened their large eyes, fixing them on the others.

"Now those were some freeky-deeky special effects right there," Xander said, gawking at the three "chicks."

Laura, Lisa and Gina ruffled their wings slightly, watching as the moonlight absorbed and reflected into them. Suddenly Gina rose from the ground, hovering ten feet above the others. Lisa followed suit, moving slowly through the air, testing them as one would water in a swimming pool. Laura remained on the ground, still maintaining eye contact with the three. She walked up to Buffy, standing nose to nose with her. 

"I don't like you," she said calmly, her voice an ethereal echo, stirring every blade of grass around them. "You are meddlesome and immature," she then turned to Angel, "and you are moody and depressing," she turned to Xander and frowned, "you are far too hormonal," and then she turned to Willow, "and you are far more devious than you pretend." Laura allowed a small smile of approval to cross her face as she raised a complimentary eyebrow at the other redhead. Willow stared at her incredulously. Laura then turned back to Buffy. "We will not kill you," she said condescendingly. Angel's shoulders sagged with relief. Buffy, however, remained unfazed. Laura smiled, a predatory crocodile grin. "But that's only because you'll die. And soon."

She walked through their group, passing Willow, Xander and Buffy without touching them but turning to Angel and whispering something in his ear. Angel's eyes grew wide in fear. When Laura was ten feet away, she suddenly beat her wings and hovered twenty feet in the air above them, creating lazy figure eights in the night sky.

"What did she say to you, Angel?" Buffy asked, tugging on the man's shirt. Angel glanced at her, shaking his head slightly. 

"Nothing important, Buffy. Don't worry about it." Angel said calmly, ignoring the three faintly-glowing figures hovering around them. He concealed the fear in his still heart well as he heard Laura's short prophecy replay over and over inside his head.

_You'll be the one to kill her…_

For a moment, the three friends stood silently in the deserted road.

"She said we wouldn't kill you," a chipper voice came from not far behind them. They turned around quickly to see a happily-smiling Gina advancing on Buffy. "Didn't say anything about messing you up a bit, did she?" she grinned, tearing a branch off a nearby tree. She suddenly flew toward the Slayer, brandishing her new weapon.

Buffy rolled her eyes and threw her stake at the advancing siren. Gina, already in full take-off mode, did a spectacular backwards roll through the air as the stake hit her full force. She fell into the bushes on the side of the road. Twenty feet above them, Laura and Lisa watched the spectacle with detached interest.

"Good shot, Slayer," Lisa called down to Buffy.

"Come on down and let's see if I can recreate it for you," Buffy said, brandishing another stake. Lisa chuckled and shook her head. Gina dragged herself to her feet, her right wing bloodied and mangled. She reached up to touch it and began crying noisily.

"Ha, pay up," Laura said to Lisa twenty feet above. "_Told_ you she couldn't last a fight without crying."

"Damn," Lisa muttered, handing Laura a few bills.

"Oh, _man!_" Gina shrieked as she tried to move her injured wing. "Owowowowww! _Shit!_ That _hurt_, you stupid bitch!" She sunk into a sitting position on the pavement, still crying loudly. Buffy, Angel and Xander all began to walk toward the fallen girl. Willow and Oz began to walk toward town.

"I knew you'd remember," Willow told him as they walked away.

"Yeah. Seriously, Will, you think I'd just forget you?" Oz laughed. "Even under a spell? Give me some credit." Willow smiled and hugged him.

"I love you, Oz."

_Oh, how sweet. It makes me want to heave. _Oz stopped for a moment as he heard Lisa's voice inside his head. He frowned and shook his head. Willow looked at him concernedly.

"Oz? You okay?" The voice mimicked her. _Oz? You okay? Are you sure? Because you haven't told me I'm pretty or said that you loved me in the past ten seconds and…_

Oz scowled. _Get out of my head, Lisa._

Oh, but it's such fun.

Leave me alone. Your spell didn't work.

I'd say it did. 

I'm still with Willow, aren't I?

Mhmm. She's still cheating on you, you know.

Oz stared at Willow in shock. Willow, fear in her eyes, asked again, "You okay?"

_How do you know?_

A girl knows these things. She doesn't deserve you. She won't be yours forever.

Liar. I don't believe you. 

Suit yourself. Just trying to help a friend. 

Oz waited for another remark. After a few minutes' silence, he turned to Willow and smiled faintly. "I'm fine," he told her. "Let's go home." Willow smiled and grabbed his hand and together they began walking.

Yards away, Gina sprawled on the side of the road, in the beginning stages of a tantrum. "Damn it all, I just wanted to come and have some fun at the Hellmouth. 'The premier spot for immortals and demons this side of Prague' my ass, I should have killed that travel agent when I had the chance," she said, breaking the hefty branch into pieces and throwing them into the road. "And now I've lost my drumsticks, had a door slammed in my face, been maimed by a decidedly unintelligent mortal, and I've been the fifth wheel for an _entire weekend!" _she wailed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She looked up at the three surrounding her. "Do you _know_ how humiliating that is? Do you? I mean…Laura had Giles, which, yeah, questionable taste," Gina was cut off as Laura threw a shoe at her from her vantage point above, "but still, it's somebody. And Oz was all over Lisa just because she can play a damn guitar and who did that leave Gina with? _Nobody!_ I was even," she began, bursting into a fresh wave of tears, "I was even shot down by _William_, who god knows needs some action with that half-cracked little vamp of his shagging every demon in L.A., I was shot down by a stupid bad-poetry-writing do-it-yourself-dye-job Billy Idol wannabe that's not even two centuries _old_—"

Gina's tirade was cut short as an old black car whizzed past them, blaring its horn as it passed in a wave of cigarette smoke and Diana Ross. Gina sat at attention, staring at the car before she suddenly screamed "_SPIKE!_"

She got quickly to her feet, shoved through the group around her and began to run after the car, shrieking at the top of her lungs, "_Spike! Spike, wait! It's Gina! Pleeeeeeeease!_" She waited a moment, and sensing the car wouldn't stop, stomped her feet on the pavement and began to cry and curse all over again.

***

He looked in the rearview mirror and turned the radio down as he heard a scream. Chuckling a bit as he saw the familiar girl run into the middle of the road, he prepared to throw the car into third until what may have once been a conscience stirred and hit him over the head. The driver snarled.

"Oh, bloody hell."

***

One hundred feet away from the groundlings, the black car suddenly screeched into a 180-degree turn and revved its engine. Gina left off crying and twenty feet above, Lisa and Laura began to laugh and clap for the car's driver. Gina shrieked with happiness and began to jump up and down with glee as she raced toward the car.

The car sped toward them; Buffy, Angel and Xander scurried to get out of its way as the driver swung to miss Gina, grabbed her by the waist, hastily deposited her in the backseat, and completed another 180-degree turn and sped down the street.

Buffy, Angel and Xander all walked out onto the street hesitantly as they watched the car screech off into the distance. Above them, Lisa and Laura began to fly north in the same direction as the car carrying their friend. The three on the ground stared at the flying creatures until they were glowing specks in the distance.

"That…um…hmm," Xander began. Buffy and Angel looked at him curiously. "I can't think of anything to say," he told them, his eyes wide with discovery.

"And just when you think you've seen everything Sunnydale can show you," Buffy said, "it gives you Speechless Xander," she ended, slapping Xander on the back as she and Angel began to walk home.

Xander winced at his sore back and trotted off behind them.

***

She took the ring off of her ring index finger, twirling it in her hands as she skimmed over treetops and houses and power lines. It was cold in her palm, silver glinting in the moonlight as it passed from hand to hand. Lisa glanced at her curiously.

"You knew this would happen," she told the girl next to her.

"I know," Laura said, still twirling the ring. "Didn't want to believe it, though."

"Mortal behavior," Lisa scoffed. "I'm heartily disappointed."

"So am I."

Lisa smirked and looked over at her friend. "Oh, go and give it back to him, you stupid whore. You know you want to. And make it a presentation to remember," she grinned, shoving the girl slightly. Laura glanced at her and grinned back.

"Right," she said, as she zoomed into the opposite direction, toward Sunnydale.

***

The black car zoomed toward L.A. at breakneck speed, its two passengers sitting in stony silence side by side.

"Thank you for picking me up," Gina said as she attempted to pick twigs out of her wings. Spike glanced over at her and rolled his overbright eyes. Gina glanced at him curiously as he quickly rubbed his eyes with one hand.

"Couldn't very well leave you to the Slayer to be plucked like a Thanksgiving turkey, could I?" he asked sarcastically. "Always lose your head in a fight, how many times have I told you that?"

"I know," Gina said, slouching in her seat. She glanced at the radio as "I Will Survive" came on, and then glanced very pointedly at Spike. He shrugged.

"Sometimes they play Pistols."

"Of course."

"Wanna doughnut? Raspberry," he said, tossing the box at her. She shook her head and placed it in the floor. "I like raspberry. Nice and red and stainy. Gets all over you," he said, beginning to ramble. Gina stared at him curiously. "Yeah. And you can eat as many as you want and they'll never make you sick…or make you think you've done something wrong or yell at you for no good reason or not show up for dinner or…" Spike suddenly burst into tears, pounding the steering wheel as he continued, "or forget your anniversary or not come home at night…"

Gina touched his sleeve. "William?" she asked, concerned.

He turned and looked at her. "Dru doesn't love me anymore," he said weakly. "She's going to leave me, Gina," he moaned. "What am I gonna do without her?"

Gina smiled and patted his head gently. "Don't worry, love. We'll think of something," she said as she stretched her wings, extending the left across the front bench and into a sort of pillow for them both.

***

Giles walked swiftly, staring down at his shoes as he made his way back home. He knew he was close, he could see the urban token trees in front yards growing in abundance. He tried not to think of anything that had happened, he would wait until he got home, he would wait until he was in private and until there were things to throw.

"Hey," a female voice suddenly echoed in front of him. Giles stopped and lifted his head slightly and saw a winged Laura standing there, her facial features not birdlike but as they once were. He didn't say anything and resumed walking. Laura floated beside him, her faint glow illuminating his path home. Giles tried not to think of painful symbolism that could accompany this observation. She was a murderer, she put spells on him and harmed those he cared about.

"I realize you'll never ever want to talk to or about me again," Laura began, her voice low. "But I want you to understand that I do what I do because it is my calling. I kill people. It's part of the job. Your Slayer could say the same thing." Giles shot her a look.

"Buffy does not kill innocent people," Giles snapped, quickening his pace a little.

"That's right, she kills vampires and demons whose crimes are doing what comes naturally to them. Quite a heroine," Laura said sarcastically. They both glanced at each other. "Anyway, I didn't come to get into an argument about ethics. Just wanted you to know that I wasn't going to turn you into some brainless love slave, however fun it might have been. And I wanted to give this back," she said, handing him his ring. Giles glanced at her and took it quickly. Laura sighed.

"Thank you," Giles said slowly, "for giving it back."

"No problem. Don't have much use for jewelry anyway," Laura shrugged. She floated over to stand in front of him, blocking his way. "I don't have much use for human emotion either," she said, forcing him to meet her gaze. "But now I can say I have more respect for it."

She reached a pale hand and touched his hair hesitantly. And she smiled. "Damn sexy in green," she said quietly, and then she flew away.

Giles stood there in the street for a moment, watching her fade into the distance. He then closed his hand over the ring and continued his journey back home.

***

They had been walking for ten minutes before another car came down the road. Buffy, Angel and Xander all stopped, wondering if the driver of the other car had come back for some revenge. The car approached them and slowed to a stop. Angel walked over to the driver's side window, apprehension in his eyes as the window rolled down.

"Hello, all! Need a lift?" Wesley asked as he poked his head out of the window. Buffy and Xander rolled their eyes as Angel looked to them for help. He looked back down at the bespectacled man and shrugged. 

"Sure. Going into town?" he asked.

"Where else?" Wesley said, unlocking the doors. "Oh. Do I need to do a spell or something or can I just invite you?" he asked Angel awkwardly. Angel gave him a condescending glance.

"I think a generic 'come in' would be fine," he said flatly.

"Well, come in, then! My, what a coincidence that we saw you all here, we were just coming back from a little field trip to—"

"We?" Angel asked curiously. He bent his head slightly to see into the car. "Oh. Hello, Cordelia."

The girl shot him a look. "Hey. What are you guys doing out in the middle of no…oh, wait, look who I'm talking to," she sniped.

Angel motioned for Buffy and Xander to climb in and they squished into the backseat of Wesley's tiny car. 

"Seat belts, everyone!" Wesley said chipperly. He didn't notice the four glares from the other passengers. Cordelia turned to face the three new passengers in the backseat after they began moving again.

"I just want you all to know that I really didn't want to stop for you and that I asked Wesley to run over Xander," she said.

"Thanks, Cordelia," Buffy said distractedly, looking out the window at the night sky.

"So, everything go smoothly with Patrol tonight, Buffy?" Wesley asked as he drove toward town. 

"Yeah," Buffy said, "Not much happened."

Wesley nodded and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. "…Did you all enjoy your show?" he asked in an attempt to be subtle. 

"Yeah, yeah, it was good," Xander said quietly. Cordelia frowned.

"I wish I could have made it, those poor girls, not knowing a soul in town, I could have shown them around—" Wesley began, but Buffy interrupted him.

"They looked like they could take care of themselves."

"Ah. Well, yes, you're right. Maybe they'll come back again," Wesley comforted himself with the thought and began humming the 1812 Overture. Buffy, Xander and Angel exchanged glances and slouched in their seats.

***

The next day

"Man, those chicks were hot. That should have tipped us off right away," Xander said, shaking his finger at the world in general. "No girls in Sunnydale are that hot. Present company excepted, of course," he amended his statement as Willow and Buffy gave him cold stares. They all sat around the Summers kitchen table, watching Giles clean the dishes from breakfast. He hadn't said much since the hour he'd been there. Buffy, Willow, Xander and Oz had all decided earlier that morning not to ask him too many questions.

"I didn't think they were all that cute," Buffy said firmly. "They had weird noses."

"Weird as in 'perfectly formed,'" Xander said, staring at Buffy in disbelief. "Buffy, those girls were—"

Buffy silenced him with a glare and a quick glance at Giles, who had been drying the same plate for five minutes. Xander cleared his throat and sat down.

"Those girls were manipulative murderers, Xander," Giles said calmly after a moment. "Their beauty is not worth your admiration."

"That's why you admired them only for their musical talent, right, Giles?" Oz grinned, looking up from his bowl of soggy cereal. "Yep. He was having none of that manipulative beauty played on _him_, that's for sure. He wasn't enjoying kissing rocker chicks for their looks, no, it was their ability to sight-read music." Oz and Giles exchanged a glance. Oz grinned. Willow hit him lightly and Giles went back to drying the plate.

"It was the spell," he said simply. Buffy made a face as she imagined Giles and L…well, Giles and _anyone_.

"Why does it always have to be a spell?" Xander asked suddenly. "Why can't anyone just do something stupid for the sake of doing something stupid?"

"One of the perks of living on the Hellmouth, I suppose," Buffy said. "You always have an excuse."

"Buffy, where does your mother store the dishwashing detergent?" Giles said as he threw the empty container into the dustbin. 

"Um…pantry, second shelf," Buffy said, going to turn on the television. They began to watch a cartoon, another Roadrunner episode. 

"Er…Buffy?" Giles asked suddenly from the kitchen. Sensing urgency in his voice, Buffy and the others rushed over to the pantry door. 

There, stacked five-deep on each shelf, were boxes and boxes of dish detergent. They all stared at the boxes for a moment, frozen in their places, the cartoon music blaring in the background.

"Um…Mom?


End file.
